Magufuli drops 74 Ethiopians Tanzania jailed in Kenya to save cost

Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli’s Tanzania has stoked another diplomatic ember with Kenya when it dropped off 74 Ethiopians who were serving jail terms to the Kenya border at Taveta.

Taita Taveta Deputy County Commissioner Henry Wafula and area Immigration Officer Lundu Kisia, confirmed that the Ethiopians were escorted by Tanzania police to the border. Many had completed their jail terms.

Sources claim the 74 had entered Tanzania via Kenya hence Tanzania has dropped them back to Kenya to facilitate their return to Ethiopia, or ‘keep them’.

Magufuli is also ‘saving costs’ and has developed a strong anti-foreign idlers policy in Tanzania.

Weeks ago, Tanzania confiscated passports of Kenyan officials who were to inspect a port in the country, terming them ‘unwanted’. Among the Kenyans was Energy CS Charles Keter.

“Tanzania authorities should have repatriated the foreigners to their country of origin instead of dumping them in Kenya. We will take them back to Tanzania,” Wafula told The Standard.

“Police and Immigration officers have been directed not to allow the foreigners to enter the country. They will be taken back to Tanzania where they came from. The incident is unacceptable and not allowed in law,” he said.

But even as Kenya props up the law to argue against Tanzania’s actions, just recently, it deported Taiwanese nationals to China. Kenya had claimed those deported had come from China, hence were to be returned to China.

For the Ethiopians, Kenya is reported to have denied them entry hence they are stuck in ‘no man’s land’.

The post Magufuli drops 74 Ethiopians Tanzania jailed in Kenya to save cost appeared first on Kenya Today.