22 November 2009
Arusha — The drought spell that has hit most parts of Arusha and Manyara regions for about two consecutive years is tearing apart the Maasai social fabric and driving youths in large numbers to seek employment or beg for food in urban areas.
Maasai youths from Simanjiro, Ngorongoro and Monduli Districts are flocking into town and the only job that they can sometimes find is guarding houses and business premises but often without any pay.
Some of the 'Morans' will work just for food and shelter.
Cattle grazing, their main occupation back home, has suffered from the drought and as a result a major part of their livestock succumbed to the harsh desert-like conditions. This year's drought, according to observers, could be the worst in history.
Lesupuko Partoti who hails from Longido left home when most of his family animals died. The remaining few were driven away by his brothers in search of pastures elsewhere.
Partoti decided to take a different path, landing in Arusha town and securing a job as a watchman at Levolosi area of the Municipality. The young Maasai who earns 20,000/- a month works with three other relatives (or friends) who are ready to assist him free of charge so as to have a shack to stay in.
Watching over a construction site, Mr Partoti and friends face a bleak future once the house gets completed. A new occupant who moves in, they fear, may not want to have them around.
This seems to be the trend elsewhere in town where up to five Maasai youths could be working as watchmen at a single premise, one being employed as a guard and others merely 'volunteers.'
Many others are still going round in town knocking on doors looking for work as watchmen. But what do leaders have to say about this?
"We recently held a full council meeting of ward leaders and this subject though it wasn't in the agenda came up," stated Elias Wawa Lali the District Commissioner for Ngorongoro when asked about the dire conditions of district. He admitted that many parts of Ngorongoro suffered drought and indeed people are suffering.
"And close to 20 percent of cattle have died some from drought and famine related predatory diseases," explained Mr Wawa Lali.
According to the Commissioner, some 65,000 animals out of 380,000 cattle in the District died in the last few months while prices for livestock dropped from an average of 200,000/- per cow to less than 30,000/-.
In Simanjiro District recently, a nineteen year old resident of Lobosoit Village, identified as Lemari Saimorei hanged himself to death after his cattle herd of 50 reportedly starved to death.
The Monduli District Commissioner Mr Jowika Kasunga also admitted that drought had razed his district in the past several months, but he still had no data for animals that could have died and he was yet to be informed if there had been any departures of young men from the vicinity heading to Arusha town.
However, It is now common to see Maasai women and children from drought stricken areas of the region go door to door begging for food or money.
From last week, many parts of Arusha have been getting rains but with the cattle gone the downpours are no solace to the Maasai, "rains will never bring them back to life," Partoti figures and it seems he is in town to stay.
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