STUDENT SECURITY ISSUES AT MAZIMBU CAMPUS

SECURITY ISSUES AT SOLOMON MAHLANGU MAZIMBU CAMPUS (SMC)

After a prolonged insecurity incidences (theft and robbery) to students at Mazimbu Campus, the students ‘government (SUASO) provided the following alert announcement.

                                          

MATUKIO KWA WANAFUNZI + MAAZIMIO YA BUNGE NA SERIKALI YA WANAFUNZI SUASO NI SIKU CHACHE MATUKIO YAFUATAYO YAMETOKEA KTK CAMPUS YA MAZIMBU 1. TUKIO LA KWANZA, TAREHE 06/12/2015 MUDA WA SAA TATU NA NUSU USIKU (3:30 USIKU) MWANAFUNZI MWENZETU ALIVAMIWA NA KUKATWA PANGA KICHWANI AKIWA ANATOKA KUSOMA ANKIELEKEA NJE YA CAMPUS (HOSTEL ZA NJE ALIKOKUWA AMEPANGA). ENEO LA TUKIO NI MUEMBE WA PILI KUELEKEA NJE YA CAMPUS BAADA YA GETI KUBWA (FREEDOM BRIDGE), KWA MAELEZO YAKE NI KWAMBA ALIKUWA AKIFUATILIWA NA WATU WATATU NYUMA TANGU ANAONDOKA CHUONI, ALIPOVUKA GETI WATU HAO WALIONGEZA MWENDO NA KUANZA KUMTISHIA KWA KAULI ZA KUMTAKA ASIMAME, ALIPOJARIBU KUKIMBIA WALITOKEA WATU WATATU WENGINE KWA MBELE, ALIPOJARIBU KUKATA KONA KUTAFUTA NAMNA YA KUJIOKOA WALITOKEA WATATU WENGINE BARABARA IENDAYO KUSHOTO BAADA TU YA MUEMBE WA PILI, HIVYO KWA MAELEZO YAKE ALISEMA NI KUNDI LA WATU ZAIDI YA WANANE (8), WALIMKIMBIZA WAKAMKAMATA NA KUMNYANGANYA SIMU YAKE YENYE THAMANI YA SHILINGI 175,000/=, PAMOJA NA PESA ZA KITANZANIA SH. 58,000/=, KTK KUJARIBU KUTAKA KUJIHAMI NDIPO WALIPOAMUA KUTUMIA SILAHA/PANGA NA KUMPIGA NALO KICHWANI. BAADA YA TUKIO ALIJIKONGOJA NA KUOMBA MSAADA KTK MAKAZI YALIYOKUWA KARIBU NA ENEO HILO, NDIPO ALIPOPATA MSAADA KWA WASAMALIA WEMA NA KUPELEKWA MAZIMBU HOSPITALI KWA MATIBABU, KWA SASA ANAENDELEA VIZURI, HIVYO MKIPATA MUDA MKAMSALIMIE, TUNAAMINI MUNGU ATAMSAIDIA. 2. TUKIO LA PILI, TAREHE 07/12/2015 MUDA KATI YA SAA TATU KAMILI NA SAA TATU NA NUSU USIKU (3:00 - 3:30 USIKU) MWANAFUNZI MWINGINE ALIVAMIWA NA KUPIGWA NA NONDO MKONONI PAMOJA NA KUPORWA SIMU YAKE. ENEO LA TUKIO NI KARIBU NA KIDARAJA KIDOGO CHA UNIT SIX/KARIBU NA TRANSFORMER, AMBAPO ALIKUWA AKITOKEA UNIT 6 (BWENINI) KUELEKEA DARASANI KUJISOMEA NDIPO KIBAKA/MWIZI ALIMVAMIA NA KUMPORA SIMU, KTK KUTAFUTA NAMNA YA KUIKOMBOA SIMU YAKE NDIPO MWIZI/KIBAKA HUYO ALITOA NONDO NA KUMPIGA NAYO MKONONI KISHA KIBAKA YULE AKATEMBEA KAMA MITA 5 NA PIKIPIKI IKAWASHWA NA KUONDOKA (INAMAANISHA VIBAKA WALIKUJA NA PIKIPIKI NA WALIKUWA WAWILI), NDIPO WANAFUNZI WENGINE WALIJITOKEZA NA KUMCHUKUA MWENZETU KUMPELEKA MAZIMBU HOSPITALI, SASA ANAENDELEA VIZURI NA KARUHUSIWA PIA SI MBAYA KUMTEMBELEA NA KUMPA POLE. 3. TUKIO LA TATU NI LA MWANAFUNZI WA DIT KWA JINA TUNAMUHIFADHI, KUPORWA SIMU MAENEO YA KIBAO CHA UNIT 4 NA VIBAKA WALIOKUWA NA PIKIPIKI KISHA KUTOKOMEA, TUMSHUKURU MUNGU HAKUJERUHIWA. SASA BASI BAADA YA KIMYA KUTANDA KWA SIKU HIZO CHACHE WAKATI WANAFUNZI WAKIENDELEA KUSUBIRI NA KUONA NI HATUA GANI ZINACHUKULIWA NA SERIKALI YA WANAFUNZI SUASO DHIDI YA HATMA YA USALAMA NA MAISHA YAO, JIONI YA LEO TAREHE 09/12/2015 BUNGE LA WANAFUNZI PAMOJA NA SERIKALI YA WANAFUNZI WAMEKAA KIKAO CHA DHARURA KUJADILI MATUKIO HAYO NA KUAMUA MAAZIMIO YAFUATAYO;

Flowing the   Incidence and the announcement different groups who are direct and indirect involved in the scenario have provided their suggestions and opinions.

Students

Students both in campus and off campus explain that geographical and organizational arrangements in Mazimbu are the key factor for insecurity to students. They argue that Mazimbu campus is direct linked to nearby villages, farms and streets through open routes passing in the campus. Farmers and villages pass through the campus with minimum control by security officers, this increases the chance for thieves and robbery people to get access to students. There is only one gate which control entrance to the compass but in fact there are many informal routes which pass through the campus and these are the suspect that are the one being uses by robbery and thieves to enter in the campus. Unit six to Lukobe, Unit four to Ugala village and SUA farms, Mazimbu hospital to Lukobe, Tabora to Mazimbu B, Ugala, SUA farms, Ilala street road are all free routes through which any person can use freely. 

Students explain that the organizational arrangements is another factor contributing to the increase of robbery and theft action in the campus. The in fracture arrangements favors the robbery and theft actions in the compass. There is no lights along all roads which connect the units and in some corridors and along the Mazimbu to town road (from hospital to the bridge) the compass, hence this creates friendly environment for thieves and robbery to easily fulfill their missions against students. Students further complain that the security officers (auxiliary police) don’t play their roles efficiently as some incidences have occurred in their area of control (Unit six and Unit four) and they have failed to monitor the movement of “bodaboda” who are first accused for these actions. Most of them sleep in the work place and do not make some movements to monitor their areas.

Bodaboda are the one accused students for theft and robbery actions at SMC

The SUASO government argues that students’ complaints, suggestions and opinions holds true and the government acts with determination towards the challenges. The government has put several measures including Identifying all bodaboda who provide services in the campus, limiting the speed of bodaboda not more than 30km/h in the compass, limiting all business vendors in the campus, all students to hold IDs when in the campus, restriction for all students to pass or sit in dangerous places like dark areas during night, sending proposal to change the MOK Security Company with more effective security company and all student to take collective security measures for their safety. 

Bodaboda

The bodaboda on their side have reacted against these accusations as they are the one who are involved in theft and robbery actions. They claim that some of the men who are involved in these actions comes from areas out from their working premises and there is no evidence that who commits the actions are bodaboda businessmen because riding a motor bike does not mean a person is doing bodaboda business audio click here

Auxiliary Police Officers

Lastly the auxiliary police officers who are blamed by the students that are the one who are responsible for the actions by failing to hold their responsibility effectively [with conditions of not being recorded by neither audio, video nor picture] argues that there are challenges in performing their duties like problem in identifying who is a student and not as the university students do not wear uniform nor taking IDs. Working facilities for example motor cycles, weapons, lack of fence to monitor the entrance and exit in the campus, lack of road lights and students’ behaviour to sit in danger places during night poses challenges to provide enough security in the campus

The auxiliary policy station in mazimbu

All in all security need to be improved in the campus by ensuring that everyone performs the duties   and responsibilities as required because currently there is increasing insecurity threats in education institutions in the world.