Family reinstated to home

Arusha. The Land and Housing Tribunal has ruled against the eviction of the family of a former employee of a colonial administrator at Duluti outside Arusha and ordered that it be reinstated and the property that was carted away returned.

Mr Juma Isangu and his family will now go back to a house they built within the compound of his former boss, the late Henry Fosbrooke, following the Tribunal’s verdict issued on Monday.

The Tribunal also ordered that the Majembe Auction Mart surrenders the property it confiscated last week when the family was thrown out of their house which was partly demolished.

The verdict was read by Magistrate Cyriacus Kamugisha. The case was filed by the family on November 11, this year, against the eviction from their premises by people hired by Majembe Auction Mart.

Mr Isangu, worked for the late Fosbrookes, author of the famous ‘Ngorongoro, the Eighth Wonder’ book, from the days the wildlife lover was a district commissioner during the colonial days.

Later, the author who settled in Duluti near Arusha after retirement, offered his employee land to build his home in the former’s compound. However, Mr Fosbrooke’s daughter Janeth later denied knowledge of the ‘deal.’

Magistrate Kamugisha said after studying the case, the Tribunal was satisfied that last week’s eviction of Isangu’s family was inhuman and had no legal justification. He added that in executing the eviction, Majembe Auction Mart had mis-intepreted Land Ordinance No. 102 Cap 113 because Mr Isangu was not a tenant in Duluti but had all legal rights to live there after being given the plot to build his house.

However, the basic eviction case filed by the family of the former colonial administrator-turned animal conservation activist against Mr Isangu is lined up for hearing on November 20.

Mr Isangu, who worked for the late Fosbrooke when the latter was a DC in Kondoa and Mbulu, was represented by three Arusha-based advocates Loom Ojare, Wilfred Mirambo and Fadhili Nangawe.

Speaking after the Tribunal’s ruling, they said: “We are satisfied with the verdict,” adding that: “Mr Isangu, who was last weekend rushed to the KCMC Referral Hospital for undisclosed health complications, is recovering.”

However, lawyers defending Mr Fosbrooke’s family said they were not satisfied with the ruling and vowed to appeal to the higher court so that justice is done.