Tanzania's Maasai community in Ngorongoro denied right to vote?

ARUSHA, Tanzania

Residents of Ngorongoro in northern Tanzania, staged demonstration on Sunday August 18, demanding the protection of their fundamental rights which they claim have been undermined by the government over the past four years.

 Early this month, the government removed the ‘Ngorongoro division area’ from the voters’ register, denying over 100,000 Maasai pastoralists their right to vote in the upcoming civic polls and next year's general elections.

The move has provoked strong criticism, with human rights campaigners terming it part of a broader strategy to expel the ethnic group from their ancestral land.

The Ngorongoro division is home to thousands of Maasai pastoralists and is conspicuously absent from the roster of polling centres released by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and seen by this reporter.

The region, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage site, has become a flashpoint in the conflict between the government and local communities.

The government argues that the relocation is essential to preserve the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage site. While officials maintain the relocation is voluntary, they have hinted at future legislation that would prohibit any residents from remaining in Ngorongoro.

It has offered to build new homes to encourage voluntary relocation for those who agree to move to Msomera, Handeni district in Tanga region; some 377 km away.

By April 2024, the government reported spending Tsh. 286 billion on the relocation effort which has resulted in approximately 8,364 residents moving since July 2022.

However, many Maasai remaining in Ngorongoro have voiced concerns about discriminatory practices, including the need for special permits to enter and exit Ngorongoro.

Residents have also complained about the withdrawal of essential services such as education and healthcare, with funding reportedly diverted to Msomera. Both the Ngorongoro Member of Parliament and human rights organizations have confirmed these shifts in funding.

The demonstrators, primarily from the Maasai community, voiced their grievances about a series of government actions that they say have led to land rights violations, denial of voter registration and forced eviction from their ancestral land.

Videos shared through social media showed the protestors blocking the Ngorongoro-Serengeti highway as tourist vehicles parked to wait for the road opening.

According to their statement, these violations have resulted in a blockade of essential social services and the physical maltreatment of Ngorongoro residents.

Speaking at the protest, one demonstrator voiced his frustration: "We are blocking this highway out of choice; we are doing it out of necessity."

"For too long, our voices have been ignored, and our rights have been trampled," another was heard as saying.

"This is our last resort to draw attention to our plight and demand the respect and dignity we deserve," added another protestor.

Tanzania allows coexistence of the wild animals with the humans in Ngorongoro but the government is now concerned by the growth of the population of both people and domestic animals.

The residents also claim to have been excluded in the voter registration and other rights.

Earlier, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the President's Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) were at odds over who is responsible for the removal of the polling stations out of Ngorongoro.

The national coordinator of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa, said; “This is the right time for President Samia Suluhu Hassan to listen to the residents and find solutions to their challenges.”

With tensions running high, residents feel increasingly marginalized, believing their voting rights and voices have been suppressed as the government pushes for relocation.