Handeni

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Tanga Region's Districts

Handeni is one of the seven districts of the Tanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Kilindi District, to the north by the Korogwe District and the Kilimanjaro Region, to the east by the Pangani District, and to the south by the Pwani Region.

According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Handeni District was 249,572.[1]

[edit] Wards

The Handeni District is administratively divided into 19 wards:

Chanika
Kabuku
Kang'ata
Kiva
Komkonga
Kwaluguru
Kwamatuku
Kwankonje
Kwamsisi
Kwasunga
Kwedizinga
Mazingara
Mgambo
Misima
Mkata
Ndolwa
Segera
Sindeni
Vibaoni

The dramatic open area to the North of Handeni at the foot of the Maasai Steppe was the setting for Earnest Hemminway's classic hunting book, The Green Hills of Africa.

Pongwe Pogwe is a village within Kang'ata ward in Handeni District. In ponge village there is a natural spring water place called Kwekibaya. Kwekibaya is the only source of water for thousands of people and animals from neaby villages: Msaje, Kwaluwala, Kwedinguzu, Kwamagome, Komwale, Kwavulata, etc. The original people from this place are called Wapongwe (Samwepongwe for male and Mnamweponge for women).

Kwekibaya is without its miracle. For example, if a person not belonging to wapongwe clean the water source (the place where water is actually coming out to the surface). kwekibaya dries out. if such incident happens, it is only wapongwe family member who can please the natural spring to give out water again.

Because of the importance of kwekibaya, there is a chain of family leaders among the wapongwe who guide the community in managing the kibaya in partuicular and general resources such as deforestation issues (which forest is a reserved one). The last leader of wapongwe is Mkulago (1942-2006). Mkulago passed away on the 28th April 2006 and lied to rest on the 30th April 2006 in the Mtonger forest.