The President of the United Republic of Tanzania Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan has ordered the area of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Arusha, which was taken by the Arusha City Council and Shs 500 million that had been given by the Church to buy back the area to be returned immediately.
The order was issued by the Minister of State, Office of the President, Regional Administrations and Local Governments, Mr. Mohamed Mchengerwa on behalf of the President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan after the Regional Commissioner of Arusha, Mr. Paul Makonda, to present the prayers of the church at the end of his visit to the region.
Mr. Mchengerwa has said that the President has directed the Arusha Regional Administration and the Arusha City Council to restore the area to the church immediately with the money they had given to buy their own land.
“I have heard you, the Regional Commissioner of Arusha, have spoken very emotionally, you have explained with regret how the area of the Catholic church, which they owned for a long time, was confiscated, I don’t know in what order”, he said
“And later they were asked to pay for it and 500 million shillings have been donated to cover the area and fortunately I have been following this area closely and yesterday I spoke to the President and explained this challenge to him, he gave me this,
he has directed me to that area and the funds should be returned to the church immediately and this I should direct the region to manage to ensure that these funds are returned to the church as the way you took them from the church”, he stressed
“Imagine that despite the fact that the area was previously owned by the church, I sat with the Bishop and he told me that they had been told to pay again and were given a deadline and threats, they paid for it using construction donations and donations from the whole province, they should be refunded their money and their area”, he said
