Green Miles Safaris hunting license at Lake Natron revoked

Natural Resources and Tourism minister Hamisi Kigwangalla. Photo |File

What you need to know:

  • The revoke of the license follows long standing conflict between 23 villages and hunting blocks license owners, whereby villagers were claiming a total of Sh329 million from licenses holders for two years.

Arusha. The Minister of natural resources and tourism Hamisi Kigwangala has revoked the East Lake Natron tourism hunting block license given to Green Miles Safaris Limited.

In a statement issued by the ministry today the license has been revoked under his capacity, in accordance with the wildlife act number 38 of 2009

This follows long standing conflict between 23 villages and hunting blocks license owners, whereby villagers were claiming a total of Sh329 million from licenses holders for two years.

Apart from villagers’ debt, the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (Tawa) had already suspended all the company’s tourism hunting activities within the block, after the company failed to fulfill the license’s condition.

Earlier this year, the Tawa’s assistant commissioner of tourism and business Iman Nkuwi said the company failed to pay 40 per cent fees from hunting earnings.

“We have stopped the company to continue hunting services in all its blocks,” he said.

The Longido District Executive Director Jumaa Mhina said the district authority has been struggling to calm down the conflicts between villagers and hunting block license owner .

However, the Green Miles Safari director Salim Abdallah Awadh has denied all the claims by villagers and the district authority against his company.