Tanzania: Babati Councillors Irked By Measly Compensation
Musa Juma
24 January 2009

Arusha — When a person is killed by stray wild animals near national parks the authorities pay compensation of only Tsh 200,000 (about USD 150) to the victim's family.

The councilors in Babati district are now urging the government to pay reasonable monetary compensation to victims' families and to farmers whose crops are destroyed by marauding beasts.

For crops damaged by wild animals they want the government to pay compensation according to assessed actual damage instead of the present flat rates paid by the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) for an incident.

A choir group of Mayo Mayoka village singing before a visiting parliamentary committee. While belting out songs they also raised placards protesting a romoured moved to expand
Manyara National Park.

The councillors who were addressing the visiting Parliamentary Committee for Natural Resources, Tourism and Environment, said the flat rate of Tsh.100,000 for destroyed crops regardless of the extent of loss and damage was not fair.

They said even more unfair was the Tsh.200,000 paid to the family of a victim killed by straying wild animals. They said that it was high time the government valued human life.

The new legislation, they said, should be passed to change the compensation policy as people surrounding the national parks have been experiencing great losses in terms of property and human lives.

Councillors Laurent Tare of Bashnet, Silas Wema of Galapo and John Kanda of Kash noted that their wards bordered the Manyara and Tarangire National Parks and the residents have been suffering from invading stray animals from the parks.

They said the invasions have made the victims poorer but the ministry had turned a deaf ear to their complaints.

The government has allocated only a handful of game scouts for the people's safety along the national parks boundaries with the villages. Councilor Kanda said there were only three game scouts to serve the whole of Babati rural district .

The councilor also complained of the meager social services given by the National Parks to surrounding villages despite the support they provide to TANAPA and the sufferings they experience from the wild animals.


Responding to their complaints, the deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ezekiel Maige said, the Ministry was aware of the problem adding that a bill was soon going to the tabled in Parliament for a better compensational policy.

The Parliamentary Committee Chairman Job Ndugai asked TANAPA to allocate more funds to social services that benefit neighbouring villagers.

The committee finished its tour of Manyara region with a visit to Moya-Mayoka village where the residents expressed their opposition to the expansion of the Manyara National Park as they were not involved in the decision making process.