He used to be a poacher and one of the most dreaded and notorious in the world of ever brushing shoulders with the law, when it comes to bush meat sale to mint extra coin. However, he is now a reputed conservationist at the Serengeti ecosystem. This is none other than Nyahega Sangi, a resident of Nyichoka village in Tanzania's wildlife district of Serengeti, Mara Region.
To him, poaching for game meat is now a thing of the past after clinching a job at Grumeti Reserves. His life and that of his family of four children has improved significantly, making him a role model in his community.
The 49-year-old was lucky to get a job at Grumeti Reserves way back in 2003. Since then, his life has changed for the better while poaching life ended there and then.
Narrating, Sangi is proud of the achievements he has attained in the past 19 years of working as a security officer at Grumeti Reserves.
Grumeti Reserves as a company that is owned by an American investor and runs several world class luxurious lodges in Western Serengeti, is an eco-tourism company which supports conservation and community development in the Serengeti ecosystem and has created hundreds of jobs for local people, both men and women.
"Before getting employment at Grumeti Reserves in 2003, I had no other means to make a living apart from poaching and subsistence farming. The only benefit of poaching was to get bush meat, there was nothing more," Sangi says in an interview with this writer at Nyichoka village last week.
His job at Grumeti Reserves, he says, has enabled him to educate his children as well as building modern houses and shunning grass thatched houses.
"I am one of locals who have benefited immensely due to the presence of Grumeti Reserves Company. For example, one of my children has completed Advanced Secondary Education (Form Six) and he is now studying at a college of health sciences. Another one has completed his studies at a tourism college and there is one who holds a diploma in education and all these are as a result of decent work at the Grumeti Reserves. I believe that any time he will be employed as a teacher, "Sangi elaborates.
He has also built modern houses at Nyichoka village and Mugumu town and is now a good livestock keeper in the village.
Sangi is one of the villagers now living in decent houses at the village bordering Ikona Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Western Serengeti.
"I have been the first person to own modern houses in our family, my parents had built themselves grass thatched houses. Other achievements resulting from my job at Grumeti Reserves company include using part of my salary to buy cows. Now I'm a good livestock keeper with over 50 cows," he says.
Additionally, Sangi is one of the villagers engaging in subsistence farming in the village, cultivating various food crops including maize, millet, cassava and beans.
His achievements are a clear testimony of the fruits of Grumeti Reserves investment, to the residents of Nyichoka and other several villages bordering Ikorongo-Grumeti Game Reserves and Ikona WMA.
"My advice to fellow citizens is that we should continue conserving and protecting our wildlife for the current and future generations", he points out.
However, like other fellow villagers, Sangi cites lack of a cattle dam and frequent crop destruction caused by stray elephants as some of the pressing issues facing them at the moment.
A cattle dam that was set up with the support of Grumeti Reserves several years has dried up after it was damaged by heavy rains.
"Livestock keepers started to experience water problems for their livestock after the dam constructed by Grumeti Reserves was damaged by rains, " he adds.
As for crop destruction by elephants, Sangi says villagers would like to see Grumeti Reserves increasing the pace in its plan to construct an electric fence to bar wild animals from invading their farms.
"Of urgent requirements for the villagers in Nyichoka are a dam for their livestock and an electric fence to prevent wild animals especially elephants, from invading our farms. If you build a dam, it will be of benefit to the livestock keepers and a fence is going to be useful to the farmers," Sangi emphasizes.
Nyahiti Marembela is one of the villagers grappling with destruction of crops resulting from invasive wildlife on their farms, each time they plant the food crops.
" At present, we don't have food because of the elephants. We are suffering, you can imagine we only survive on water during the day and porridge is our supper. We request the investors to build a fence which will bar these animals from invading our farms. Also, if possible, we request them to rehabilitate the dam for our livestock as the old one was destroyed by rains. Our cattle have nowhere to drink water," says Malembera.
Apart from offering employment opportunities to some of villagers at Nyichoka, Grumeti Reserves Company has continued to maintain good neighborliness with the local people by assisting them with various community social services.
The Nyichoka Village Government Chairperson, Mr Emmanuel Cairo says apart from receiving levy from Grumeti Reserves through Ikona Wildlife Management Authority (WMA) the village also benefits from scholarships of students for college and university every year.
'"We receive a letter from Grumeti Reserves every year, requesting us to nominate students for sponsorship. The beneficiaries are usually those who qualified but have missed government sponsorship," says the village government chairperson.
Grumeti Reserves has also been offering entrepreneurship skills to villagers as a way of empowering them to start economic projects.
Other contributions donated by the company directly to the village recently include 120 roofing sheets and 32 bags of cement to Nyichoka Secondary School, " says Cairo.
"We thank the company because it has also been driving the elephants away from our farms. Most importantly, we are waiting for the company to build a fence which will protect our crops from wild animals because as a village, we have already endorsed the plan," says the Mr Cairo.
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Noting that he is one of the villagers whose children have benefited from employment at Grumeti Reserves, the village government chairperson, inspires his fellow villagers to support Grumeti Reserves efforts in conservation, for the benefit of today's and future generations.
A few months ago, Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Dr Pindi Chana commended the US investor for the heavy investment fostering tourism, conservation and community development in Western Serengeti.
Two safari lodges owned and managed by Grumeti Reserves in Tanzania were rated high and placed on the list of ten best hotels on the African continent in April this year.
In its report, The Wealth Africa named the safari lodges as Sabora Tented Camp and River Mara Tented Camp.
The minister was also pleased with the company's continued support on conservation and local development through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
She said the President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan is an ardent supporter of investment and Grumeti's unique investment is not only beneficial to the economy of the country but also to people and the environment.
"This investment is not only beneficial to the country but also to the local people and the environment, "the Minister said.
