Soon to become a municipality, but can Babati town really deliver?

After the Arusha region split last year, the newly formed Manyara region went away with a total of five districts. Babati, was one of them and apparently, the urban part of the district, has so far been declared the new Manyara regional headquarters, soon to become a Municipality. The District Commissioner; Khadija Nyembo, explains here, as to what makes Babati tick ...

By Nyamanoko Bwire

ANSWER: Mainly agriculture. Farm produce, such as food and cash crops, are the major trading products in Babati.

Even food crops here are also earning us cash. For instance, traders from neighbouring districts and regions, always flock here to buy Maize, Beans and Rice grown in Magugu.

Babati is the main source of food being used in Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Singida and even Dar es Salaam.

The district is also a rich source of animal products such as meat, milk and hides, another line of trade benefitting local livestock keepers.

A: Oh! plenty. Tarangire National Park is in Babati, we also control a great portion of the Lake Manyara game park. Actually, all the hot and warm springs along and within the Lake Manyara basin, are in Babati district.

A: Well, the quarries are within the Marang forest reserve, which apparently, is not exactly in Babati but part of the Mbulu district. Despite the fact that the two gemstones are rare and very valuable, mining activities have been prohibited in the area because, as far as ecological experts are concerned, once allowed, Mining activities would totally destroy both the forest environment and the area ecology.

This will in turn cause the forest to disappear and apparently it is the major source of rainfall for both Arusha and Manyara regions. Even Lake Manyara will dry up if the forest environment is tempered with.

A: That should be the collection of taxes in the district, but precisely Development levy, we also collect hotel and bar taxes, however other forms of taxation such as crop produce, cattle and bicycle levies will soon be scrapped off as they cost a lot in collection but doesn’t pay much.

We also get annual subsistence funding from the central government.

A: Tourism also contributes a lot in Babati District earnings, through the Community Development Initiative (CDI), in which National park authorities, give out some monetary funding or material contributions, towards development projects in the surrounding community or villages.

Again, as I pointed out earlier, big hotels are also major contributions in the District earning through Hotel taxes.

Q: How does the district benefit from Lake Babati?

A: The lake mostly benefits the local people, who practice both fishing and irrigation farming, in and around the lake. Fishing however, is being done at a very small scale and is also being practised seasonally. We are currently also, controlling fishing activities, in a bid to conserve the lake.

A: There has been a great influx of people from other regions who, of late have been migrating here to either try new life or and precisely, establish new business ventures.

With them, comes the usual trend of mass plot buying and land acquiring, such that we have to work twice harder, in sending out expert to conduct surveys, in order to ensure that, new, upcoming structures are built properly and according to plan.

Mushrooming buildings, especially business premises are also coming up at an alarming rate. Yes, the move to make Babati regional headquarters has made the town to experience rapid growth and increased population.

Even the previously, closed down business ventures in town, are in the process of being revived ready for operations.

A: Actually, it is not just a matter of immigrants, but the Babati crime scene, has a long history of being part and parcel of the Arusha town, criminal cases.

Crime here usually occurs at high levels, during harvest time, this is when businessmen from other regions, precisely Arusha, travel here to buy crop produces.

Robbers of course, always tail these people, knowing they are carrying plenty of money with them and in most cases they try to ambush them.

So, when robbery or theft cases occur here, it is usually by criminals from Arusha, or even as far as Morogoro region.

Also, when criminals have committed crime in Arusha or anywhere near Babati, they sometimes try to come and hide here, from the police.

Still, I very much commend the District Police, for their efforts in combating crime in Babati.

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Last modified: April 11, 2003.
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