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Private developers ’invade’ beaches
2006-09-25 08:57:58
By Patrick Kisembo
Title deeds issued to owners to build houses within 60 metres of the Indian Ocean coastline are likely to be revoked, following government’s admission that it made mistakes in the allocation of beach fronts to private developers.
The decision to repossess the beach plots follows a public outcry that the new owners are fencing off the plots and in the process, deny public access to beaches.
Interviewed, ’holiday makers’ complained about being denied access to the beaches after the allottees, reportedly fenced the plots off.
Visitors to the beach appealed to the government to intervene and demanded to be told why they had been denied access to the beaches under the guise of private ownership.
An on-spot check by The Guardian found plot owners had embarked on indiscriminate construction along the beaches in Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo.
When contacted for comment, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Abbas Kandoro said that it was improper to ignore public outcry and allow indiscriminate invasion of the coastline, in violation of the Town and Country Planning Act.
The unusual speed, with which developers moved to protect the plots, prompted the curiosity of this paper, which led to the discovery of tourist-class hotels that were coming up along the beaches.
Kandoro gave the example of Kigamboni in Temeke District, where wealthy people still fence off their plots resulting in serious inconvenience to beach users.
”We’ve begun to work on modalities to redress the situation. This includes a review of plot ownership. We’ll not allow this to happen because many people will be denied access to recreational facilities under the guise of private ownership,” Kandoro said.
He cautioned the developers of strong waves from the ocean that could destroy their property if they failed to abide by the laid down guidelines.
Interviewed, the public in Kigamboni spoke of discrimination when it comes to visiting places that are already fenced off.
”If I want to access the shores, I have to look for a part of the beach that is not owned, because the whole area has been taken up by people with money,” Waziri Mang’ati Mkumbwa, a Kigamboni resident said.
Areas where public access to the beaches has been cut off include Kunduchi and Kigamboni.
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