By The government of United Republic of Tanzania has refuted allegations that it wants to evict 40,000 Masai tribesmen and sell off the land on which they live to a tycoon from the Middle East.
The Masai,who are nomadic, live in northern Tanzania near the border with Kenya. Part of the land they occupy also contains Masai Mara national game park.
Tanzania’s authority have said that it has never had any plan to evict the Masai people from their ancestral land as falsely reported by the media in recent days. It adds on that the information circulated through the media outlets globally was misleading, malicious and meant to tarnish the image of our country and her international standing.
The Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu said,”The claims that 40,000 Masai were being evicted are false, unfounded and baseless. The argument that the land in question is being sold to a wealthy Middle Eastern family are a total fabrication and in contrary to the Tanzanian law.”
Members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Land, Natural Resource, and Environment are due to visit the Loliondo area to bear witness to the government position and speak directly to the Masai people. The Minister, Lazaro Nyalandu, will also be leading a team of government officials and Media Houses to visit Ngorongoro in the next few days.