Gambo orders formation of team to end land row

Arusha. The Arusha Regional Commissioner, Mr Mrisho Gambo, has issued a directive on the formation of a team, which will probe a protracted dispute over boundaries in the Lendikinya Forest Reserve in Monduli District pitting Emairete, Lendikinya and Arkalia villages.
Mr Gambo issued the directive when speaking to both land experts and chairpersons of the villages in Monduli District on Wednesday.
According to him, the probe team should comprise land experts from the northern zone region who will work together to identify the source of the problem.
Mr Gambo said a report by the land experts would be discussed in all sittings in order to come up with an apt decision.
“This land dispute was caused by land experts, who have been misleading people about the forest boundaries because there are two different maps.  The one which was issued in 2005 does not show the existence of the forest in the area while another issued in 2016 shows,” he said.
“So, here we fail to understand which map is genuine and we cannot make any decision until the probe team has keenly made a scrutiny on the issue and come up with a correct report,” said Gambo.
For his part, Monduli District Commissioner Idi Kimanta said the forest had 3,684 hectares and that it was last surveyed in 1974 . Mr Kimanta concurred with Mr Gambo that the two maps were confusing and fuelling the dispute, saying the envisaged probe would come up with correct answers.