Kikwete's hypocrisy over foreign investors

Ragamuffin · 2010-06-04T20:22:39+00:00

According to IPP Medias Guardian reporter Jackson Kimambo President Kikwete is cross. He is cross at the fact that certain foreign investors have leased farms from co-operative societies in the Kilimanjaro region and failed to develop them instead, renting out the land local villagers to grow beans and Maize (see article below) According to the Guardian, Kikwete has directed Kilimanjaro regional authorities to terminate the contracts of foreign investors who have undertaken to develop large-scale coffee plantations and have failed to do so stating, It is very surprising that an investor who had entered an agreement to develop coffee plantations fails to undertake farming as per the terms of the contract and instead decides to lease the farm to wananchi to cultivate maize and beans. This is against the agreements. If an investor has failed to develop the farms it was better for the contracts to be terminated to allow primary cooperative societies to take over. Kikwetes concern is indeed surprising given his failure to honour the promises he has made to the British government to intervene in the infamous Silverdale Farm case and the clear corruption and abuse of law engaged in by the Kyeeri, Uswa Mamba and Shari co-operative societies together with Mr. Benjamin Mengi which led to the total destruction of farming investment and coffee development on Silverdale & Mbono farms in the Hai District of the Kilimanjaro region. In short, 1999 the Kyeri, Shari and Uswa Mamba co-operative societies issued Mengi with a 60 year lease which he assigned in 2004 to the British investors with the full written permission of the societies. Having been paid in full Mengi then began negotiated a year later to sell the lease a second time to British investor Konrad Legg (Tudeley Estates. When the investors refused to hand the lease back, they were forced from the country by violence and abuse of law instigated by Mengi. IPP Media ran a vicious defamation campaign ageist the investors despite the CEO Reginald Mengi promising the British government it would cease. The co-operative societies took rent from the investors and then refused to recognise them stating the meaning of a 'legal assignment' was that Mengi had assigned certain tasks to the investors to carry out on the farms. In November 2008, Mengi invaded the farms by force. This act was act sanctioned by the regional crime officer and regional police commissioner. Mengi has rented out the entire 500-acre intensive farming unit to local villagers to grow beans and maize and in fact anything they so choose to do. He is using the farm to keep his cattle and is systematically cutting down every single tree on the farm. In short, an intensive farming unit so vital to Kikwete's Kilimo Kwanza push is now reduced to a faming catastrophe. Mengi is doing exactly what Kikwete condemns i.e. cultivating short term crops like cereals, maize and beans to get money fast on land he controls unlawfully by fear and force. It seems Kikwete is happy to involve himself with investor disputes when it involves 'foreign investors' but not disputes where his countrymen are involved which resemble a Mugabe style land grab. Tanzania, an investor friendly destination? Caveat Emptor, this is Africa!!!!! Prison cage into which Stewart Middelton was thrown in abuse of law on a corrupt charge made by Benjamin Mengi. The DPP dropped the charges as soon as he was made aware of the circumstances but no apology was given to the investor Mengi used the police constantly to harass the investors bringing them to the farm day after day alleging that they were engaged in criminal activity Mengi stated in front of senior police officers that he would drive the investors 'out of Tanzania, cut to pieces in a coffin if necessary'. He was not arrested for his comments. In 2006, Mengi's cattle kept unlawfully on Silverdael Farm contracted Foot & Mouth disease. A quarantine order was issued by zonal veterinary officer Swai. Mengi left the carcasses around the farms to harass the investors, ignored the quarantine orderr and continued to milk the cows and sell milk to Moshi town. As the investors paid veterinaty officers to trest the cattle on ethical grounds Mengi opened a court case against them stating they were killing the animals and that they had forged the quarantine order. Mengi's cattle were used to destroy investors crops JK irked by `fake` coffee investors By Jackson Kimambo President Jakaya Kikwete has directed Kilimanjaro regional authorities to terminate contracts of foreign investors who undertook to develop large-scale coffee plantations but had failed to deliver as per agreement. Kikwete gave the order after he was told by the Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner, Monica Mbega that the investors had failed to abide by the contracts they had entered into with 14 primary cooperatives societies in the region. It is very surprising that an investor who had entered an agreement to develop coffee plantations fails to undertake farming as per the terms of the contract and instead decides to lease the farm to wananchi to cultivate maize and beans. This is against the agreements, he said. He said if an investor had failed to develop the farms it was better for the contracts to be terminated to allow primary cooperative societies to take over. If they have failed to fulfill what was agreed it is better to terminate the contracts and instead primary cooperative societies be given the chance to run the farms by providing wananchi land to cultivate their crops, the president directed. Kikwete said if the societies are handed over the farms, they would in a short time have enough funds to run them. It is shocking. Do we need middlemen to work on the societies behalf? It is better that these farms be returned to the cooperative societies, insisted the president. In her report to the president, the Regional Commissioner said out of 41 large-scale coffee farms which had been privatized back in 1971 and handed over to primary cooperative societies, 15 of them were being taken care of by 15 investors and were all doing well. She said performance of 12 others was between 41per cent and 79 percent while 14 farms were performing below 40 per cent. Investors of these 14 farms have been leasing the farms to the local people here to cultivate short term crops like cereals, maize and beans for them (investors) to get money fast, said the RC. Mbega said the investors had already been advised of the plans to terminate their contracts to allow the government to look for other investors who will be able to run the farms efficiently. She said the regional authorities had directed district commissioners to supervise the termination of the contracts and to look for ways to get other investors capable of running the farms. SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Ragamuffin

Senior Member

Jun 4, 2010

Attachments

Full receipt of Funds.doc
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AUTHORITY TO ASSIGN-CO-OP.doc
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DEED OF ASSIGNMENT-FIONA TO SILVERDALE (T).doc
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Fiona-Official Receipt of Funds Received.doc
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Inside, Dying Cow and sick calves.JPG
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Dead Cow, Bloat, April 2006.JPG
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31st January 2007-5.JPG
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31st January 2007-4.JPG
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31st January 2007-1.JPG
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