EDITORIAL: Do soul-searching to wipe out moral decay
In recent days and weeks, Tanzania has been going through a heart-rending experience of criminal activity. This is especially taking into consideration the fact that Tanzania has had a long-standing reputation as a politically-stable, safe haven for both its people and foreigners – be they visitors who mostly include tourists, or residents representing their countries or international/multilateral institutions in the United Republic.
Recent examples of the tragic, agonising developments include the wanton killings of children in Njombe Region in the southern highlands; the murder in cold blood of a religious adherent inside a church in Singida Region – and the yet another abduction and killing of a woman in Arusha Region.
The Njombe serial killings – which commenced in earnest in December last year – have so far resulted in the deaths of at least ten under-teen children, some of whose body parts were chopped off. A handful other children have mysteriously disappeared without a trace until now.
Investigations are ongoing, and at least 29 suspects had been taken into custody for interrogation by Thursday. But, no one has been charged in court for the crimes – apparently for lack of sufficient or credible evidence until now.
The ‘church killing’ in Singida Region on Saturday, February 2 this year,is even more bizarre.
This time round, we have some public servants unceremoniously barging into a Seventh Day Adventist church during a worshipping service.
Scuffle between invaders and the faithful
For some reason or (an)other, a scuffle between the invaders and worshippers inside the church ended with one worshipper, Isaack Petro, 28, being shot in the head and killed– possibly by a stray bullet...
Again, we are told, investigations into the affair are going on, and so on; and so forth...
More is the pity...
But, even before Tanzanians recovered from the shock of the Njombe and Singida killings, another atrocity was perpetrated in the Monduli District of Arusha Region.
As reported in our sister paper Mwananchi on February 7 this year, 26-year-old Ms Esther Fisso became the 9th victim of abduction and brutal killing by persons unknown in the Mto-wa-Mbu area of Monduli District in the last four years.
Although investigations into the serial, selective murders of women have been ongoing for years, no person is yet to be judicially convicted of the crimes.
The mostly unsolved cold-blooded serial killings of more than 30 people in the Rufiji, Kibiti and Mkuranga districts of the Coast Region over two agonising years since January 2015 have left unanswered questions...
This is to say nothing of the 88 albinos killed countrywide during 2010-2014– with another 69 mutilated.
Soul-searching will show that all the foregoing is a sad tale of moral turpitude.
We, therefore, earnestly urge the relevant authorities to put an end to these tragic woes, thus cleansing Tanzania of the moral decay before it takes roots.
