These kinds of threats really annoy me. Who the hell does this woman think she is. she is appointed by the president to serve the people not to threaten them. Maybe he was ignorant of the law but the man did not need to apologise and should not have. These people really think they are above the law.
Tourism minister tastes the wrath of angry peasants
Source: IPP Media
2008-12-21 11:57:10
By Robert Ochieng, recently in Bunda
Tourism minister tastes the wrath of angry peasants
Source: IPP Media
2008-12-21 11:57:10
By Robert Ochieng, recently in Bunda
Peasants of Hunyari Ward in Bunda District, Mara Region, are no longer at ease with the government.
They angrily scorned at Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Shamsa Mwangunga while she was addressing them during a recent tour to the ward.
And true to manner, the minister ran out of endurance and fought back forthwith: ``Apologise, apologise! Actually, I want you to make the apology in the presence of the press corps right away.``
She was reacting to one Jumanne Webiro, who in a flurry of outbursts, accused the minister of blunder bash, in an inspection tour of development projects funded by the Serengeti-based Singita Grumeti Reserve in Mara region.
Webiro directed his vehemence at the minister, shouting openly: ``In fact, that is mere loose talk or talk, Madam Minister, because we have sufficient evidence to prove that our children are arrested whenever they go out to graze our cattle, which are seized as well.
Our wives and daughters are assaulted and raped whenever they go out into the forest to fetch firewood or go to fetch water from the river ...``
The peasants seemed to have suddenly dropped a bombshell of overpowering magnitude, annoying and embarrassing the Minister who could contain it no further.
Minister Mwangunga thundered, gesturing to a microphone and a tape recorder placed in front of Webiro: ``You cannot tell me, a Cabinet Minister appointed by the president, that I am making chit chat. Apologise or do you want me to make you sit down there?� pointing to the ground.
Mwangunga could contain it no more, retorted with pain attracted the wrath of the villagers when she refuted claims of alleged assault by the company`s personnel.
``The people I sent here to investigate your accusations reported back to me that not a single person came forward to provide evidence to prove whether indeed any crime has been committed,`` she stated amid growing contempt from the audience.
The Minister, amid the heckling, attempted to absolve the top management of Singita Grumeti Reserve of any wrongdoing, saying, ``These Europeans have not beaten you or anyone for that matter.
Let us speak the truth where it`s necessary. Perhaps the people responsible for assaulting you are your Swahili colleagues, your own children.``
Her attempt to defend the investors, citing numerous economic benefits that the local communities enjoyed from the multi-million dollar tourist company within their locality, did not go down well with the already irate villagers.
Under duress, Webiro apologised as another villager whose identity could not be immediately established was overheard shouting: ``That is intimidation! You leaders must never threaten us.
The Government cannot connive with investors to take away our land, and then issue threats again. Instead, it is its legitimate responsibility to fight for us.``
The acting Mara Regional Commissioner, who is also Musoma District Commissioner, Severin Muketa, who was on the Minister`s entourage stood by pensively watching the unprecedented turn of events.
He was unable to stop the heckling crowd of enraged villagers wedging their fists in the air amid sporadic chants: ``No! It cannot happen!``
Muketa\'s plea for order was thwarted by more shouts coming from men and women both young and old, some with clothes torn at the seems and barefooted, who braced the scotching sun demanding to know what action the Government had taken to address their grievances.
What had started as a normal observance of protocol with orderly introductory speeches by ward, district and regional authorities suddenly turned into a shouting match for the daring crowd, which at first was reluctant to attend, but on a second thought came around hoping for the Minister`s mouth to pronounce that a settlement had been reached.
The underlying cause has been a simmering conflict pitting the local villagers against the investors, with the former accusing the latter of wrongful restraint from accessing grazing land and water, as well as physical assault and harassment among other human rights abuses.
It took the timely intervention of Bunda District Commissioner Chiku Gallawa to call to order a seemingly tensed situation by calmly telling the incensed crowd: ``Please, calm down. Let`s all calm down first! Let\'s stop being emotional.
