Kenya Police Addresses Viral Letter on Staging Protests in Tanzania

File photo of Maasai Community in Tanzania addressing the press
File photo of Maasai Community in Tanzania addressing the press
File

The National Police Service (NPS) has moved to address misinformation regarding the eviction of the Maasai community from Loliondo near the world-famous Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

To avert misinformation that may threaten to spark a diplomatic row between Kenya and Tanzania, police have flagged as fake the letter that alleged Kenyan pastoralists were staging protests in the neighbouring country to compel Dar es Salaam to release livestock confiscated from them.

According to NPS, the letter does not reflect the true position of the police or the country, and neither did it originate from the service.

According to the fake letter allegedly signed by Nairobi Regional Commander, Augustine Nthumbi, the Kenyan police were protesting in Tanzania to pressure President Samia Suluhu Hassan to take action immediately and order the release of Kenyan cattle.

Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso addressing the press.
Former police spokesperson Bruno Shioso addressing the press.
Capital Group

The police, however, have termed the letter as fake, malicious and aimed at spreading misinformation.

In Kenya, only the Maasai community has issued a statement regarding the evictions in the neighbouring Tanzania. Narok North Member of Parliament, Moitalel ole Kenta, condemned the Tanzanian authorities for forcing the Maasai out of their land.

Accompanied by other leaders, he appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and stop the evictions.

"We have never been divided and we will not allow that to happen. As the Maasai, we shall always remain one community, only the colonial boundary separates us," the community explained.

The Lawmaker said the community will seek legal redress to protect the rights of the 40,000 pastoralists in Tanzania who are at risk of losing their ancestral land.

The Kenyan government has not issued an official statement regarding the matter that has so far seen thousands displaced as Tanzanian authorities demarcate the contested area.

UN had already written to Tanzanian authorities regarding the planned evictions noting that it was violating human rights principles.

The UN rapporteurs explained in the letter that the Maasai pastoralists whose traditional land lies in the Ngorongoro conservation area were not consulted.

"Such plans have not been communicated to the Maasai people to obtain consent," the letter read in part.

However, Tanzania went ahead with the eviction plan which has sparked uproar globally.

Maasai community in Tanzania counting their loses following eviction orders
Maasai community in Tanzania counting their loses following eviction orders
File
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