The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
10 November 2009
It's sad to hear that cattle rustling in Mara Region is spiralling out of control. The vice has now spread to Serengeti District, having initially been confined to Tarime and Rorya districts.
This is sad indeed, because we had expected the vice to be under control by this time, what with the setting up of a special police zone to specifically deal with the problem and several efforts to solve it.
But now police records in Serengeti District show that some 560 head of cattle were stolen last month, with most being driven across the border.
This has happened despite a resolution taken by the Tarime District Council that its councilors would now closely deal with the problem.
We thought that now a solution to the problem was in sight because councillors would be in a better position to solve it. They are leaders who brush shoulders with ordinary members of the public on almost a daily basis.
Efforts to solve the problem have at one time or another also been made at the level of the local area, district and region. But it seems all these have not borne any fruits, and it could take a lot longer time before a solution to the problem is found.
However, we cannot just throw our hands in desperation. No problem is insurmountable, and somehow a solution to the rustling menace has to be found if we want people in the area to live in peace and tranquility like other Tanzanians.
We therefore propose that leaders in the area sit down with their counterparts on the Kenya side and discuss what steps could be taken to find a solution to the problem once and for all.
Kenya leaders should be co-opted because the problem is not confined to the Tanzania side of the border, but spills over to our neighbours.
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