In about 1830 they settled in the Selian area on the southwestern slopes of Mount Meru under Maasai authority.

Bovine pleuropneumonia and Rinderpest swept the lands, killing many of the Waarusha livestock and the famines and droughts of 1883-6, 1891-2 and 1897-1900 were especially hard of the people, thus weakening them.

On October 19, 1896, the Arusha retaliated at attacked Johannes and two German missionaries were killed.

[3] Three years later in 1899 Kurt Johannes wanted to further humiliate and demoralize the Arusha people.

The German fort (boma) was built where the clock tower now stands in the heart of the City of Arusha.