Maasai to Appeal East African Court Ruling on Land Dispute

Tanzanian Maasai who took their government to court over a land dispute that resulted in alleged evictions, loss of land, and in some cases, deaths, have vowed to lodge an appeal with the regional court, according to their lawyers, the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU).

Earlier, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) rejected a petition by the Maasai community in a case involving a Serengeti land dispute between them and the Tanzanian government. The Maasai petitioners wanted the EACJ to stop the Tanzanian government from removing them and their livestock by force from the border of the Serengeti Reserve and the Loliondo Wilderness.

Judge Charles Nyachae who presided over the matter, said that the petitioners - livestock keepers of the Maasai community - failed to prove their claims that they were tortured and beaten. Nyachae also said the petitioners could not provide evidence that their property was destroyed by people they described as soldiers of the police force.

This case was opened in 2017 where the Maasai people had hoped for a declaration stating that the Tanzanian government violated the set laws. They also wanted an order from the court to stop the citizens' evictions, arrest, detention, prosecution and damage to their homesteads, livestock, and other property.