Hanang farmers claim the Mulbadaw farm

In an article published on dec. 27^th 2015 in “The Citizen” by Zephania Ubwani he writes:

 “A strong plea came from inhabitants of Deajammeda village. They are craving for the adjacent Mulbadaw and Murjanda estates, citing lack of ample land for grazing their animals and crop cultivation.

“We want land for crop cultivation and the remainder for grazing. We have been living here for a long time,” lamented Leonard Soa.”

Supported by scores of his colleagues during a meeting convened to discuss the land crisis facing them, the villager said their problems had been compounded by alleged harassment by the management of the two farms. ”

Later in the article the allegations about harassment are denied by a senior official from the Mulbadaw farm who claimed anonymity. Why anonymity?

There is no reason to believe the villagers are lying. In HDC we also have reason to believe that HDC is wanted back as management at the Mulbadaw farm by many in the local population surrounding the farm. We think this could solve the conflict with the locals.

Link to Ubwani’s article here.

Read the comments by the director of HDC, Halvdan Jakobsen, in connection to Ubwani’s article:

Citizen on Sunday 27^th December 2015: Deajammeda (in Basotu) village chairperson Renatus Paulo says, “We are pleading to the government of President John Pombe Magufuli to intervene” in the question about ownership to the former NAFCO farms.

NAFCO won “The Mulbadaw Case” in the courts and got the Title to Mulbadaw Farm. Mulbadaw Farm was offered for sale in 2004 and Haydom Development Company Ltd (HDC) won the bid and bought the Mulbadaw Farm on 11^th. February 2005, and in November the same year also the Central Maintenance and Service Centre. The Liquidator handed over Mulbadaw Farm and CMSC officially to HDC in December 2005, in the presence of the District Commissioner and Bishop Zebedayo Daudi of the Lutheran Church.

As the name indicates, the ambition of Haydom Development Company was development, not only production of wheat. The development strategy was a participatory approach, inviting the neighbors to participate in the production and share the crop with those who participated. The farmers along the southern border of Mulbadaw farm organized themselves in units of five farmers, the female head of the household representing the participating family.

Haydom Development Company Ltd’ visions, objectives and targets are published on the web and still valid. “I have a dream. My Mulbadaw neighbor sitting on the Board of Directors”, Arusha Times 1^st-7^th 2006 is representative of the attitude and ambitions of Haydom Development Company Ltd. Link to this article is available on the web.

Friends of Haydom in Norway occupied Mulbadaw and CMSC on 12^th. August 2006. The Norwegians, without any Tanzanian Court order, evicted the management of HDC. Two “ambulances” from Haydom Lutheran Hospital filled with men armed with “rungus” chased HDC people out and locked the gates to the offices and houses. The Citizen covered the incident the following day. It was not possible for HDC Ltd to have the case tried in the High Court, Land Division.

Perhaps it would be a good idea for HDC and Deajammeda Village to join forces in” pleading the Government to intervene”?

Halvdan Jakobsen

 The director of HDC is in January 2016 going to Tanzania. He is willing to visit Dajammeda in order to listen to the claims and find out if there is a way forward with HDC as a partner in development.