By Bernard Lugongo ,The Citizen Reporter
In Summary
Tanzania receives hundreds of thousands of visitors
every year, with tourism the leading source of foreigners who were
nearing a million last year alone.
Dar es Salaam. Transport
Minister Harrison Mwakyembe has banned 13 government officials from
working at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) over
harassing and soliciting bribes from visitors.
The officials, whom the minister said would not be
allowed to work at any airport in the country, were from the Ministry
of Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives, Ministry of Health and
Social Welfare and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development.
Six of them from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food
Security and Co-operatives were Ms Teddy Mwasenga, Esther Kilonzo,
Rehema Mrutu, Marry Kadokayosi, Kisamo Samji and Aneth Kilyanga.
The banned five officials from the Ministry of
Health and Social Welfare were Ms Agnes Shirima, Hamis Bora, Valeli
Chuwa, Remedius Kakuya and Eligera Wagase while the other two were Ms
Eshi Ndosi and Anne Setebe from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries
Development. Dr Mwakyembe yesterday told journalists at a packed press
conference at the ministry’s headquarters in the city that the officials
were captured on security cameras at the JNIA harassing visitors.
The minister said their behaviour was something
that damages the image of the country. The minister had apparently
ordered secret filming of the arrival and inspection areas of the
airport.
“I have taken a decision to remove them from the
airport and sent them back to their respective ministries because this
is the first time. But others found with the same mistakes will be
detained while waiting for disciplinary measures,” he warned.
Dr Mwakyembe said it was disappointing that as the
country strives to fight drugs smuggling via the country’s airports and
harbours, some officials were engaging in not lesser internal evils
that destroy Tanzania’s image to the outside world. Tanzania receives
hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, with tourism the leading
source of foreigners who were nearing a million last year alone. He
said: “We have received complaints from Indians, Arabs and Chinese
people that some officials seize foods, cosmetics and other items from
visitors and instead of destroying them according to regulations, they
confiscate them for personal use and sometimes gave the items back when
bribed.”
Following the complaints, Dr Mwakyembe directed
the security personnel at the airport to investigate the matter. He said
for officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare they used
to harass the visitors who do not have yellow fever cards. “We
established that they receive between $50 and $100 as corruption for
those who don’t have such cards,” he said.
“And you may wonder that there is always a long
queue at the airport for inspection over yellow fever cards, but if you
ask how many have been arrested over lacking those cards, you find no
one,” he said.
Last year, Dr Mwakyembe sacked four officials
suspected of aiding drug traffickers to smuggle 150 kilos of drugs worth
billions of shillings through the JNIA and had their contracts
officially terminated.
They were immediately taken into custody at the
airport police station for questioning over the trafficking of crystal
methamphetamine by two Tanzanian women who were arrested in South
Africa.
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