Like other Maasai districts, there is a storm brewing in Kiteto, not of weather, but of policies, projects, and pressures threatening pastoralist life. Our ancestral grazing lands face growing threats: commercial farms backed by investors are replacing pastures, and forest carbon projects are turning communal lands into restricted zones, criminalising traditional grazing. Wildlife Management Areas like Makame WMA, though framed as community-led, often prioritise external interests, silencing local voices.

Trophy hunting further commodifies our lands, displacing herders for profit, while urban sprawl swallows pasture, blocks routes, and pulls youth away from herding. These forces combine to cast a shadow over the future of pastoralism.

Kiteto

The Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) advertises Tanzania as Africa’s premier hunting destination, depicting elephants and lions. Credit: MISA