Storm as Kenya deports Tanzanian traders

Travellers check in at the Namanga border control between Kenya and Tanzania. PHOTO | FILE 

In Summary

• According to Harsama Kello, Kajiado County Commissioner, the crackdown on Tanzanians was triggered by persistent complaints from Kenyan businesspeople at the border, who claimed they were harassed whenever they tried to do business in Tanzania.
• He said Tanzanian officials too were implementing the same law and had so far “not complained about our crackdown.”
• This is not the first time Kenya and Tanzania are having a cross-border dispute.

By CHRISTABEL LIGAMI
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Kenya has begun deporting Tanzanians working in the Namanga border town without the requisite work permits.

According to Harsama Kello, Kajiado County Commissioner, the crackdown on Tanzanians was triggered by persistent complaints from Kenyan businesspeople at the border, who claimed they were harassed whenever they tried to do business in Tanzania.

“Tanzania police are harassing our people on the highways into Tanzania. They keep blocking our vehicles from entering Tanzania, while Tanzanian public vehicles from Moshi, Arusha, Dar e es Salaam are being allowed to operate freely in Kenya,” said Mr Kello.

Already, three hotels operated by Tanzanians in Namanga town have closed down and several Tanzanians deported by Kenyan Immigration officers for being in the town illegally. Tanzanians do not require visas to enter Kenya, but they are expected to go through immigration procedures to gain entry.

“We have just started the crackdown and we shall continue and extend it to the other regions of Kajiado, like Kitengela,” said Mr Kello.

He said Tanzanian officials too were implementing the same law and had so far “not complained about our crackdown.”

Protest

Kenneth Gonga, the Kenya Immigration Commissioner at the Namanga border said the officers were not targeting Tanzanians, but implementing the law.

It is estimated that there are more than 500,000 Tanzanians living and working in Kenya, including those in the embassy in Nairobi.

In March, businesspeople in Namanga staged a protest for being denied entry into Tanzania to conduct business following Tanzania’ President John Magufuli’s directive to deport foreigners operating in the country illegally. The Tanzanian government launched a crackdown on foreigners who did not have both work and residence permits.

READ: Tanzania turns the heat on illegal immigrants

Similar crackdown

In September 2013, Tanzania had launched a similar crackdown on foreigners during which several Kenyans were asked to leave.

Tanzania has the region’s most expensive work permits, which range between $2,000 and $3,000.

In Burundi, charges range from $60 to $84 while Uganda charges $250 per year for work permits for missionaries, volunteers and $1,500 for businessmen and consultants.

Kenya, which initially waived fees for East Africans, has reintroduced a $1,976 charge for job seekers aged under 35. Rwandan work permits are free for East African Community members, while Burundi charges three per cent of the annual gross salary of foreign workers, including EAC partner states.

This is not the first time Kenya and Tanzania are having a cross-border dispute.

In 2015, Kenya banned Tanzania registered tour vans from its airports, national parks and other tourists sites in protest to  what they termed as unfair treatment by Tanzania officials where Kenyan tour vans were not allowed to enter Tanzania national parks and game reserves.

The issue has not been resolved to date.

READ: Tanzania, Kenya talks on tourism bans fail over differing agendas

“Tanzania refused at let our tour vans into their parks even after we held several meetings. So we decided let it be a fair play to us is that no party has undue advantage over the other,” a tour van operator.

In retaliation, Tanzania cut the frequency of Kenya Airways flights from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro by over 60 per cent.