By ADAM IHUCHA
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has, with immediate
effect, relieved its four key cabinet ministers from their duties over gross
negligence.
The senior ministers were sacked amid allegations that they
had mishandled a recent launched anti-poaching security operation, leading to a
gross human rights violation.
In an unprecedented move, Mr Kikwete who is in the second
and last term in office surprised many of his contemporaries when he gave
marching orders to Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi, Home Affairs Minister.
In the fired Ministers list were Shamsi Vuai Nahodha,
Defence and National Service minitser; and Dr David Mathayo, Livestock
Development and Fisheries.
Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Ambassador Khamis
Kagasheki, had voluntarily resigned shortly before the President pronouncement.
Speaking in Parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Pinda, delivered President’s message, who is out of the country.
This came after a special investigative report on the implementation of the operation revealed ghastly acts, such as raping, theft and many others allegedly committed by the members of the public officials that resulted into deaths to innocent civilians mostly pastoralists.
The report by the Parliamentary standing committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment under the chairmanship James Lembeli (CCM) tabled his report alongside a special investigative report that reveals the bad outcome of the performance of the operation earlier ordered to be carried out in the country by President Jakaya Kikwete.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said that the President who is abroad has said that the “ministers in question have not done the atrocious acts directly, but he gave them the ministries in the hope that they will manage perform well in managing these ministries and this has not happened.”
“The President has said that Dr. Nchimbi, Ambassador Kagasheki, Nahodha, and Dr. Mathayo are, therefore, supposed to leave the ministerial offices,” the Prime Minister said.
Speaking in Parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Pinda, delivered President’s message, who is out of the country.
This came after a special investigative report on the implementation of the operation revealed ghastly acts, such as raping, theft and many others allegedly committed by the members of the public officials that resulted into deaths to innocent civilians mostly pastoralists.
The report by the Parliamentary standing committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment under the chairmanship James Lembeli (CCM) tabled his report alongside a special investigative report that reveals the bad outcome of the performance of the operation earlier ordered to be carried out in the country by President Jakaya Kikwete.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said that the President who is abroad has said that the “ministers in question have not done the atrocious acts directly, but he gave them the ministries in the hope that they will manage perform well in managing these ministries and this has not happened.”
“The President has said that Dr. Nchimbi, Ambassador Kagasheki, Nahodha, and Dr. Mathayo are, therefore, supposed to leave the ministerial offices,” the Prime Minister said.
The ‘Tokomeza Ujangili’ security operation, which took off
on 4th October 2013, was on 1st November halted over the allegations
of gross human rights violation.
Ideally, the operation was meant to flush out poachers,
amidst reports that they have been slaughtering nearly 22 elephants for their
tusks every month, threatening a multi-billion-dollar tourism industry.
Indeed, Central bank’s latest economic review proves that
travel has outshined gold as the country’s leading foreign exchange earner,
thanks to the gold falling prices at the world market.
The Bank of Tanzania said in its September Monthly Economic
Review that the value of gold export declined from $2.15 billion in the year
ending September 2012 to $1.748 billion in the year ending September 2013 while
tourism surged from $1.61 billion to $1.82 billion during the same period.
Wildlife officials say between 2008 and 2012, poachers have
slaughtered a total of 776 elephants in various national parks.
The ministry records show that way back in 2008; poachers
killed 104 elephants, while in 2009 and 2010 they slaughtered 127 and 259
jumbos respectively.
In 2011 poachers were responsible for killing 276 and 2012
up to mid April they have decimated 87 elephants.
Tanzania, with 70,000-80,000 elephants in 2009, is thought
to be home to nearly a quarter of all African elephants.
“But with this rate of loss we will have none left in 10
years. The African Elephant could be extinct by 2025” says TATO Vice-Chairman
Mr. Peter Lindstrom.
Mr Lindstrom further said that in the last 10 years, one
third of all ivory seized across the world has originated from Tanzania.
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