Tanzanian immigration authorities have reminded Kenyan residents living near the Isebania border of the rules governing cross-border movement under the longstanding “Good Neighbourliness” agreement between the two nations.
Kenyan nationals can enter Tanzania for social visits and essential needs without a passport, according to a statement from the Immigration Department at the Sirari Border Post.
This arrangement, rooted in Regulation 17(1) of the 1997 Immigration Regulations, aims to facilitate friendly cross-border relations between communities.
Authorities have, in an unprecedented move, now clarified that Kenyan visitors must adhere to a strict schedule, entering Tanzania at 6:00 a.m. and returning to Kenya at 6:00 p.m.
Visitors must obtain permission from the Immigration Office to stay overnight in Tanzania without proper documentation.
Those caught breaching these regulations now risk arrest.
Kenyans on social media could not hesitate to air their views, saying:
Is tightening cross-border movement rules under the “Good Neighbourliness” agreement a step towards better regulation, or does it risk straining the very relations it aims to strengthen? – @pasaiden
“Just imagine if Kenya chased Tanzanian traders in Gikomba, Tanzanian prostitutes at Dubois, and tailors all over Nairobi. Tanzania must stop this nonsense. Why should someone need a permit to be in Tanzania, yet Tanzanian beggers are fed by Kenyans? Nyerere must be turning in his grave.” @Kibisuelvis
“Kenyans are required to have a business visa and a permit to do business in TZ, which cost over 300k a year, but Tanzanians do business in Kenya without paying a dime. The question is: why do we have the Ministry of East Africa community? Why are they not negotiating for this?” @Kelvin Makori.
