Residents of Relini and Mariton hamlets in Malula Village, Arumeru District, have appealed to President Samia Suluhu Hassan to intervene in a land dispute after accusing the Meru District Council of surveying and marking more than 3,000 hectares of land they claim belongs to them.
The residents allege that council officials, accompanied by police officers, have entered the disputed area to install boundary beacons despite ongoing court proceedings and previous court rulings involving part of the land.
They argue that the exercise risks undermining confidence in the legal process and could heighten tensions within the community.
Meru District Council maintains that the land belongs to the local authority and insists it is acting within the law.
Speaking on behalf of the council's Executive Director, council lawyer Jonathan Kiama acknowledged that some of the land disputes have been heard in court, including a case involving the family of the late Ahmed Okash.
He said although the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the Okash family in one case, the council has filed an application seeking a review of the decision, arguing that those sued in the original case were not the rightful owners of the land.
"There is no court order stopping the council from surveying the area. We are surveying land that belongs to the council," Mr Kiama said.
Lawyer Fridolin Gwemelo, representing the affected residents and the Okash family, argued that the council should refrain from taking any action that could interfere with matters still before the courts.
He said the council's application for a review does not overturn existing court decisions or grant authority to enter and survey the disputed land.
Mr Gwemelo added that public institutions should respect judicial processes, in line with repeated calls by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Chief Justice George Masaju for government agencies to uphold the rule of law.
The children of the late Ahmed Okash said they have spent more than 14 years pursuing the matter through the courts and believe the legal process confirmed their ownership of the land.
Former estate administrator Sophia Okash said the family won Land Case No. 35 of 2012 involving more than 2,000 hectares after a lengthy legal battle and subsequently completed the administration of the estate.
"We have followed the legal process from the beginning, obtained court judgments and completed the succession process. We are asking President Samia to intervene because the council has returned to claim the same land," she said.
Another family member, Timothy Ndihuri, said the family has occupied and farmed the land for generations and that documentary evidence supporting their claim was presented during the court proceedings.
Willy Mmari, another landowner, alleged that the council had placed boundary markers on more than 1,000 hectares without consulting residents while related court cases remain pending.
As of Thursday, council officials were reportedly continuing the surveying exercise under police protection.
The dispute now centres on whether the council can proceed with surveying while legal proceedings related to ownership remain active, with both sides maintaining competing claims over the land.
