Arumeru — A PROTRACTED land dispute pitting Losinoni villagers at Oldonyowas Ward and Korfovoun Estate Ltd has finally come to an end after the investor agreed to offer part of his land to the villagers.

The 20-year-old dispute, last week, saw the firm giving away 222 acres out of the total 700 that it owned.

Speaking while demarcating the annexed land, Mr Robert Daniel from the Korfovoun Estate Ltd, said the area will be subdivided into zones where social services such as schools will be built on.

According to Mr Daniel, who also owns the property, some 116 acres will be given to the village council, 23 acres to Engedeko Primary School, 11 for the construction of a secondary school, while the remaining 71 will be allocated to villagers who had once encroached the land and established their settlements.

"A pyrethrum field will be established on the remaining 478 acres where we hope to also create employment opportunities to the locals once the project is up and running," assured the investor.

For her part, Arumeru District Commissioner Emmanuela Mtatifikolo Kaganda, who was present to witness the annexation and demarcation of the area, instructed the Arusha District Council Director, Suleiman Msumi, through the district's land division, to prepare a land use plan for the areas that have been zoned.

This will enable the government to fast-track valuation of the land in question and also help the villagers acquire title deeds, according to the District Commissioner.

"There shouldn't be any delays in ensuring this happens so that we don't get back to square one and start resolving land disputes afresh," she observed.

In their rejoinder, Losinoni villagers thanked the government for acting promptly in resolving the dispute, which they said it had affected their welfare as they weren't concentrating on income generating activities.

Led by their chairperson Peter Gabriel, the villagers equally thanked the investor for giving them part of his land.