Zanzibar bars Maasai from carrying clubs and swords

Zanzibar authorities last week banned the Maasai from carrying swords and clubs in the streets following cases of fighting involving hawkers.

Urban Unguja District Commissioner Rashid Simai Msaraka said on Wednesday: “We agreed to prohibit the weaponry in respect of our culture” after two meetings with Maasai leaders. 

Last week, a man allegedly posing as a Maasai beat up a Stone Town Area officer in the Darajani marketplace in Unguja Island.

Mr Msaraka said the restriction only applies within the Unguja jurisdiction “for the time being.” 

Maasai men have traditionally carried throwing clubs and swords for warfare and hunting. The wooden clubs are now widely used as tourist souvenirs.