Tanzania pays 11.3 billion/- to over 1700 families for clearing from Kilimanjaro Airport’s Land

The Tanzanian Government says more than 1,710 households that had set up their residences close to the Kilimanjaro International Airport have already been paid over 11 billion/- so that they may voluntarily vacate from the area.

A statement from the government spokesperson, Mobhare Matinyi, is to the effect that the residents had infringed into the reserved precincts in the first place.

The release refutes allegations arising from recent reports claiming that there are conflicts and disputes surrounding the Kilimanjaro Airport’s land saga.

There are various video clips going round at the moment, showing homeless people, especially women and children crying in front of cameras, mostly during the night claiming to have lost their houses due to demolition exercises taking place in areas surrounding Kilimanjaro Airport.

This now seems to be the Government’s response.

Apparently, as the statement claims, the area on which Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) stands now used to be a wildlife-filled Game Controlled Area.

According to the Press Release, the now defunct, ‘Sanya Lelatema Game Controlled Area,’ measured 800 square kilometers.

The GCA which preceded the airport project was state-owned reserve, therefore even the related land was a government property long before 1969 when the terminal construction began.

Apparently the government sliced some 110 square kilometers out of the initial 800 square kilometers for the construction of Kilimanjaro Airport which kicked off in 1969.

Twenty years later in 1989, the airport land was surveyed under E5255/18 assessment before being provided with registration Number No. 231264.

It was then provided with a land Title Deed Number 22270.

The Kilimanjaro Airport land was bordered by nine villages in both Arusha and Kilimanjaro since the terminal is located right at the center between the two Regions.

Villages bordering Kilimanjaro Airport on Arusha side include Kaloleni, Samaria, Malula and Majengo Kati all mapped within the Meru District.

Others were Sanya Station, Tindigani, Chemka and Mtakuja located in the Hai District of Kilimanjaro Region.

The Government statement maintains that some members of pastoral communities from both Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions started encroaching the airport land between 2007 and 2010.

Farming and Livestock grazing activities that ensued later reportedly took a toll on the environment in addition to adversely impacting operations at the country’s second biggest air terminal.

With vegetation being depleted from the ground, the government report claims that clouds of dust would blanket the terminal during dry seasons, which was dangerous because sometimes aircrafts found it difficult to land.

But as other human activities continued to expand towards the airport, the government could no longer execute the terminal development plans, especially those pertaining to ensure safe operations in regard to national and international standards.

“President Samia Suluhu Hassan thus instructed government officials to raise funds amounting to 11.3 billion/- for paying (not compensating)the residents to cover costs of whatever development they had undertaken throughout the years,” says the report.

“This amount was based on government assessments, in which a total of 1,712 households were evaluated for payments.”

Members of the households started receiving the payments on 17 November 2022 with the disbursement exercise culminating a month later on December 22, 2022.

Payments were made against the visible properties developed above the ground.

They included buildings, planted trees and crops.

Crops that were still on farms were given time to ripen and harvested by owners.

“Evaluation of the land was not obligatory since the land is government property and people that lived on it had no right of ownership.”

A total of 1,061 households in the four villages of Hai district in Kilimanjaro and 651 homes in the other four villages of Meru in Arusha got evaluated, all totaling to 1,712.

Some villages had parts of their territories extending into the airport area.

Specifically, the Tindigani village had almost three-quarters of its land extending into the Kilimanjaro International Airport zone.

Tindigani however retains a large area at Bonza where most people migrated into.

The government intends to move a public primary school and local dispensary to Bonza.

Households that moved to other areas were given the option of securing new plots in close proximities at the low prices of 80,000/- per piece of land measuring 25 square meters.

The Government spokesperson says most villagers have already erected new houses.

State payments had covered the cost of demolishing houses, uprooting permanent crops, transferring burial places, house and allowances and disturbance compensation.

A total of 11,321,898,061.69 have been handed out to households so far.

Over 7 billion/- went to Hai District residents while 4 billion/- was distributed among the households of Meru District.

Until April 30, 2024, a total of 1,666 households out of the initial 1,712 had already received 11.2 billion/-

As of May 14, 2024, only 46 households were yet to receive their dues under various reasons as some did not have bank accounts. Others had conflicting names that did not tally with their bank records or evaluation registers.

Vice President Dr Philip Mpango recently directed the Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner, Nurdin Babu to extend a grace period to May 7, 2024, for those residents who were struggling to relocate from their old abodes.

Meanwhile, the exercise to demarcate the airport land has been successfully accomplished with erection of 186 pillar beacons around the 53 kilometers airport perimeter.

As for the houses being set ablaze as seen on videos, the government say they were burnt for clearing the area after their owners vacated the place.