Some Ruboma villagers in Ngara take local brew (rubisi) in the
afternoon. Some of them are illegal immigrants with families with
Tanzanians.
PHOTO | elias msuya
By Elias Msuya, The Citizen Correspondent
(email the author)
Posted Saturday, August 31 2013 at 07:44
Posted Saturday, August 31 2013 at 07:44
In Summary
With a major swoop by authorities planned any time
following expiry of a presidential deadline for illegal immigrants to
vacate, a number of them are living behind broken hearts and dwindling
business fortunes among the locals.
Ngara. Hundreds of families in Tanzania are
pondering a bleak future owing to a big void created by the vacating
masses of immigrants whose continued stay the government has described
as untenable.
With a major swoop by authorities planned any time
following expiry of a presidential deadline for illegal immigrants to
vacate, a number of them are living behind broken hearts and dwindling
business fortunes among the locals.
A week-long survey in the worst affected Kagera
Region, reveals that the staggering movement of the illegal immigrants
to mostly Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda is not without a share of whining
from Tanzanians with intertwined family roots or deep business ties.
Those who could not survive the purge are adeptly looking for means to
beat the trap to continue with their lives even as local authorities
give assurance of a more diplomatic recourse for genuinely separated
families or investors. In many Ngara District villages, it is a story of
mixed fortunes as the immigrants leave while locals are now forced to
take measures to fill the socio-economic void.
At the Rusumo border, village chairman Dauson
Mhuru alias Kadende, is an unhappy man. Aged, 52, he is married to a
Rwandese woman, Eluminata. Together, they have six children and raising
another nine from the man’s earlier marriage which broke up.
“I took this woman in the early 1990s and since
then she has used a permit given by the Immigration offices. But now the
government says she must leave the country, so how do I take care of my
big family without her?” he asks.
“I have gone to the Immigration offices and they
have told me that her permit has expired and they have stopped issuing
new ones. So now my wife must go to Rwanda and find a passport and seek
Tanzanian citizenship, which will take a long time and will affect my
family,” he added.
Mhuru also added that he can’t go back to his
first wife because they still have a matrimonial conflict. He said the
family depended on income from a public toilet the wife was running at
the border.
“Despite my being the village chairman, I earn
nothing because we don’t have a salary. I am just volunteering. I am
engaged in petty trade and my wife supervises our public toilet project
that brings in money to feed and educate our children, some of whom are
in secondary school.”
“They all need our material and moral support as
their parents. The government should re think about its decision and
spare families such misery, because this matter is affecting many
families,” he adds.
Mhuru said he was saddened by claims that as
village leaders, they had been accepting bribes to allow in illegal
immigrants. “I don’t speak for others but in my village, immigrants are
those who came in the 70s most of whom are women,” he explained. The
same predicament faces Sadiki Elias of Ruboma Village. He has a
Burundian wife known as Elizabeth and a child.
After President Kikwete issued the notice, his
wife went to Burundi but came back after only a week, saying she needed
medical care which was not available in Burundi. “I have lived with my
wife for 10 years without a child but we got one last year. I have heard
that people like her must leave the country but I need to take care of
her and the child,” he said.
Elias knows nothing about the dependent permit as
they have lived without it all this long. “I will go for it anytime but
we have been told nothing so far.” Another villager, Marko Lameck, also
has a Burundian wife and seems ignorant of the paper work.
It’s true that my wife is Burundian and she left home after the government notice. But she is now back and she is at the farm,” he says urging the authorities to issue them with the said permits.
It’s true that my wife is Burundian and she left home after the government notice. But she is now back and she is at the farm,” he says urging the authorities to issue them with the said permits.
Samuel Nkware, a Ngara resident says their local
economy is likely to decline. “You know Burundians are muscular and work
long hours as opposed to our own people. Many of us used them as
labourers and for brick making. Most of the houses you see here were
constructed by them.”
Ms Jadida Mohamed, a garment dealer at Benaco
suburb in Kasulo Ward, is also unhappy that most of her customers are
leaving. “The immigrants, especially Rwandans who are pastoralists, are
very rich and made our businesses thrive. I fear their departure means
our businesses will dwindle,” she said.
In Ngara town, Ms Maria Mugisha blames Tanzanian
landlords and tycoons of bringing in the illegal immigrants to work in
their farms and other businesses.
Peter Nyabebda, who resides at Kumnazi Village
near the closed refugee camps, says those who were repatriated during
the closing of the camps are now loitering in the streets working as
cheap labourers.
“You know their countries are poor, they don’t
have enough land and have no jobs, while there’s enough land in our
country; which is why they come here,” he said.
However, the situation is different in Karagwe
District. Aristides Muliro, who is a Bugene councillor, says illegal
immigrants are problematic. He named one Njali Ndikukiko whose
citizenship he claims is controversial but owns land at Nyakasimbe Ward.
“They are problematic and because they are rich
they are boastful and arrogant even when we tend to react to a problem
involving them. He explained that Ndikukiko was rejected by villagers
and later an official investigation found his residency wanting. “But
the man is still around!” he exclaimed.
Government response
A senior Immigration officer at the
Tanzania-Rwanda border at Rusumo, Mr Mahirande Samuel, says the law is
clear on immigrations rules.
“The law is clear and must be observed. Those
married should have a dependent permit and renew them often. Those
complaining do not observe these laws,” he says. He said their recent
operation in Ngara township alone netted 268 Burundians, 52 Rwandans and
two Ugandans.
Ngara District commissioner Constantine Kanyasu
says his district has more than 50,000 illegal immigrants. Some 10,000
have voluntarily gone back.
“We have been educating our citizens on welcoming illegal
immigrants as they take their budget share of social services such as
education, health, water and economy,” he told The Citizen on Saturday.
He said after an operation to mop those still
holed up in Tanzania for a tune of Sh150 million, they will start a
diplomatic move with the neighbouring countries to settle some marital
and economic disputes.”
Kagera regional commissioner Fabian Massawe says things will not be business as usual.
source: The citizen
source: The citizen
