Paradise:
Home affairs minister Charles Kitwanga
Several officials in the department’s passport, finance and ICT
(information and communications technology) sections will be removed
from its Dar es Salaam headquarters, along with officials responsible
for the issuing of resident permits, according to the minister’s
directive.
Speaking at a meeting with ministry and immigration department top
officials at the ministry’s headquarters in the city, Kitwanga also
ordered the relocation of the heads of the department’s investigation
units at the three key border posts of Tunduma, Mtukula and Holili.
“(Immigration department) officials who have stayed at their
working posts for more than three years must be relocated,” said
Kitwanga, explaining that the move was aimed at disrupting a network of
corruption believed to exist in the department, increasing transparency
and enhancing service provision.
Describing the immigration department as one of the most crucial in
terms of maintaining national security, the minister said more changes
being planned would be carefully implemented to avoid perceptions of
victimization or favoritism.
He cited recent research findings which show that bribery-related
incidents account for 30 per cent of the department’s problems. Other
problems are poor performance (20 per cent), misuse of office (20 per
cent), poor working systems and tools (10 per cent), and poor services
(10 per cent).
Kitwanga urged immigration department personnel to adhere to
working ethics and respect the laws of the land. He said as civil
servants, they should avoid being tempted by bribes and engaging in
other malpractices like aiding illegal migrants and drug smugglers.
Back in 2014, the then home affairs minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha
unveiled plans for a big reshuffle within the immigration department to
enhance national security and curb illegal immigration.
Nahodha claimed at the time that some immigration officers had
proved inept at controlling an influx of illegal immigrants into the
country, resulting in the emergence of aliens threatening national
security. Many of these ineffective immigration officers would be
demoted, he pledged.
It is understood that illegal immigration is becoming a global
concern, often requiring multi-sectoral efforts to eliminate it.
According to official records, at least 20,000 illegal immigrants from
the Horn of Africa have passed through Tanzania and other East African
Community (EAC) partner states on their way to South Africa and
elsewhere.
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