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Police, wildlife officials in housing dispute
2006-05-24 09:41:58
By Emmanuel Kornel
Prime Minister Edward Lowassa’s directive that old residential houses of Liwale South Eastern Wildlife Zone be occupied by the police has stirred a controversy between regional and district police authorities.
The Premier gave the directive after the inauguration of 14 new houses for the workers at the zone recently.
He said the houses, which would be vacated by wildlife staff at the zone should be given to the police.
However, even as he gave the directive, the newly built houses cannot accommodate the entire zonal staff. The workers, feel it is unfair to give the police the old houses when they still need them.
’’The number of workers is 42 while we have only 37 houses,’’said a source.
Wildlife workers insist the premier’s was a suggestion, which meant just in case there would be unoccupied houses then police ought to be given priority to occupy them.
However, just in the wake of Lowassa’s pronouncement, it has emerged that the police are demanding the entire 14 house units.
They too have forced wildlife workers to move to the new houses, which are yet to be wired and connected for electricity supply, with some of them now being forced to seek alternative accommodation by renting houses.
According to the Liwale wildlife officials, the houses were built as a motivation to the staff as they are working under difficult circumstances and housing them at one site was to offer security against poachers who target the officials individually.
It has also emerged that Lindi Regional police and Liwale district authorities had flatly turned down the prime minister’s directive contenting the police should not be given the houses.
The difference has snowballed into a major controversy pitying various government authorities.
The Wildlife Department has built 14 houses, 4 for its senior zonal officials and 10 for the junior staff and with the addition of the old 23 housing units there are 37 units for the staff.
However, the units are not sufficient to accommodate the entire staff.
Out of the 14 houses only one has already been installed with all the basic requirements like electricity and water supply system, while the others are still under various stages of installation.
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