The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa, has stepped in to help resolve the Gciriku traditional leadership succession dispute.

The Gciriku tribe has been without a chief since 2019. 

The chieftainship of the tribe is inherited through the maternal line.

Despite ongoing court cases and disagreements, in September 2023, a faction within the Gciriku royal family, alongside the Gciriku Traditional Authority, coronated Muraghuli Felix Mashika as the successor to the late Hompa Kassian Shiyambi.

"The Gciriku do not have a chief, and it is not correct to have a community, to have a tribe without a tribal leader for such a long period. Because chiefs have a vital role to play in the community, like land and grazing allocation are to be done by the chief. Who is allocating land to the Gciriku residents in the absence of a chief? That is a very big area that we require to be addressed," said Sankwasa. He further added that he wants to "see where the law meets your culture, because that is going to give us the solution. It is disheartening that since 2019, the Gciriku people have not had a chief, and that means certain functions are not being performed in the Gciriku tribe."

All factions involved in the dispute submitted their written responses. 

The minister informed attendees that his office would review all documents thoroughly to understand the root causes of the disagreement.

He assured the attendees that his office would soon set a date for the interviews, based on the questions and responses provided.

Sankwasa announced that his office would make a final decision after assessing the interview outcomes.