THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam
NEW details are emerging about the conspiracy over the grabbing of a prime piece of land from the National Muslims Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA) allegedly masterminded by Yusuf Manjis Quality Group Limited in Dar es Salaam.
THISDAY can reveal how the move was fraudulently hatched, resisted, and eventually pushed by top government officials in the city.
An internal report into the scandal commissioned by BAKWATA says Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Yusuf Makamba, gave his full backing to Mr Manji in the controversial project.
The report was written by a team of BAKWATA sheikhs appointed by the Chief Sheikh, Mufti Issa Shaaban Simba, to investigate the scandal over the property.
According to the report, it was only thanks to the intervention of the former Minister of State in the Presidents Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Brig. Hassan Ngwilizi, that Quality Groups attempt to develop the land was thwarted.
Brig. Ngwilizi, who lives near the BAKWATA property at Changombe suburb, had objected to the private development of the plot by Mr Manjis company, the report says.
However, it is alleged that while Brig. Ngwilizi was away for election campaigns last November, Mr Manji quickly seized the opportunity by writing a letter to Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Yusuf Makamba, seeking his help in pushing forward his companys project.
In the letter dated November 8, 2005, Mr Manji complained about the delay in issuance of the building permit by the Temeke Municipal Council.
It is now more than 18 months since the date of our application, yet to date, Temeke Municipal Council has not issued us with the Building Permit, Mr Manji said in the letter to Mr Makamba.
He added: Considering the above situation, we seek your office?s intervention at the soonest.
Mr Makamba then obliged by instructing his assistant -- the Dar es Salaam Regional Administrative Officer ? to order the Temeke Municipal Council to expedite approval of the building permit to Quality Group.
Whats the meaning of this bureaucracy ? we should not discourage investors. (Eliya) Ntandu should supervise this and give them (Quality Group) the building permit, Mr Makamba ordered in handwritten instructions to his assistants on Mr Manjis letter.
In the memo that the Dar es Salaam RC expressly wrote on the same day of the delivery of Mr Manjis protest letter, Mr Makamba declared that the disputed property belonged to Quality Group.
Working on Mr Makambas orders, the Temeke Municipal Council was forced to grant a building permit to Mr Manjis company, which immediately built a fence made of corrugated iron sheets around the plot.
The 27-page report written by BAKWATAs permanent probe committee established that there was fraud involved over the secret change of ownership of Plot Number 311/1 Block T at Changombe to Quality Group.
BAKWATA had reserved the property for the construction of the proposed first Islamic University with the name Millennium University of Tanzania.
But in an unexpected twist, ownership of the plot was secretly transferred from BAKWATA to Mr Manjis company, in what an internal BAKWATA report describes as fraud and conspiracy.
Quality Group claimed to have legally gained ownership of the property with the full knowledge and consent of the Trustees of the proposed university.
However, it was later discovered that the certificate of incorporation issued to the Trustees was eventually withdrawn -- and subsequently cancelled.
The Administrator-General, Ms Christabella Kaisi, withdrew her letter of consent with reference number ADG/Ti/4 of October 2, 2002 given to the Trustees of the Millennium University of Tanzania after realizing that the consent was obtained by false pretence.