Tanzania will not back down from DRC intervention

Dar es Salaam will not back down from sending troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of a United Nations intervention brigade, despite two written warnings from the March 23rd Movement (M23) rebel group, Tanzanian officials say.

M23 rebels withdraw through hills on November 30, 2012, after leaving the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo village of Karuba.


Salva Rweyemamu, director of communication for the Tanzanian president, told Sabahi the government received two letters from M23, which is fighting to overthrow the Congolese government.

The first letter was directed to the Chairman of the International Great Lakes Conference, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and copied to all heads of state in the region, including Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete.

A second letter addressed to National Assembly Speaker Anne Makinda and signed by Bertrand Bisimwa, the new head of M23's political wing, reached the Tanzanian parliament on Saturday (April 20th), sources told Sabahi.

In the letter, M23 urged lawmakers in Dar es Salaam to advise the government against deploying troops to the DRC, and even threatened a "massacre" of Tanzanian troops by M23 fighters if Tanzania went ahead with the deployment.
Restoring peace

"The intention of Tanzanian troops is not to kill Congolese but to restore peace," Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Job Ndugai told Sabahi. "M23 will find this to be a problem if they are not for peace. We are not sending our soldiers to kill people or to be killed by M23."

On March 28th, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2098, which cleared the way for the international body's first-ever "offensive" combat force. The mandate of this intervention brigade, comprised of infantry battalions from Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique and Malawi, is to "neutralise and disarm" M23, Congolese rebels and foreign-armed groups in eastern DRC, according to a news release from the United Nations.

In the letter dated April 11th, Bisimwa warned that M23 would defeat the UN brigade headed by a Tanzanian general.

On April 7th, Bisimwa issued similar threats to South African troops via his Twitter account, but South Africa said it would go ahead with plans to join the UN intervention brigade in DRC.

According to Bisimwa's letter addressed to Speaker Makinda, Resolution 2098 "transforms [the] UN Peacekeeping Mission to DRC into a belligerent force with the mandate to carry out offensive operations against Congolese citizens".

Bisimwa, who accused the United Nations of intervening in the DRC to rescue the government in power, vowed that M23 forces would defeat the interventionist brigade.

He said he highly respects the first president of Tanzania, the late Julius Nyerere, yet M23 would have no option but to "massacre the brotherly troops from Tanzania".

Colonel Kapambala Mgawe, spokesperson for the Tanzania People's Defence Force, reiterated Tanzanian troops are going into eastern DRC to keep the peace in the region.

"Where DRC citizens' lives or peacekeepers' lives will be in danger, our troops will rescue lives and disarm those who are causing that danger," he told Sabahi. "This is a stance and directive from the UN."
Previous threats

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Bernard Membe told Sabahi that Tanzania is used to receiving such unfounded threats from rebel groups whenever its forces intervene to save innocent people.

As an example, he cited the 2008 African Union military intervention in Anjuan, Comoros, that ousted former president Colonel Mohamed Bacar. Despite similar threats warning against Dar es Salaam's troop contribution, Tanzanian forces did not back down, Membe said.

"I think they [M23] would have honoured Mwalimu Nyerere by calling off the civil war that causes rampant rape, death for children and women, and displaces people," he said.

Membe said M23 should end its rebellion and stop killing innocent people, thereby giving Tanzania no reason to send a battalion to DRC.  SOURCE SABONLINE

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EAC leaders want monetary union talks speeded up

 President Jakaya Kikwete confers with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta during yesterday’s East African Community Heads of State Summit in Arusha. Mr Kenyatta, who was elected last month, was attending the Summit for the first time

Negotiations on the proposed East African Monetary Union (EAMU) should be concluded in August for signing in November this year, the regional leaders’ summit directed yesterday.

However, experts say several issues need to be addressed to pave the way for  an effective monetary union.
 The 11th extra-ordinary summit of the East African Community (EAC) heads of state held at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha urged the partner states to ensure negotiations were completed according to the schedule so that the long-awaited protocol could be signed during the next summit.


The Arusha Summit was attended by presidents Jakaya Kikwete, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi) and Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Rwandan Prime Minister Pierre Habumuremyi and Zanzibar Second Vice President Seif Ali Idd.

Reading the joint communiqué at the end of the meeting, EAC Secretary-General Richard Sezibera said the Sectoral Council on Monetary Union would meet on Saturday to consider and give guidance to the draft protocol.

This will be followed by two ministerial meetings in July, one of which will give a legal input for the protocol in readiness for consideration and signing by the heads of state during their ordinary summit in November.

Negotiations for the protocol started in January 2011 and were among the key agendas of yesterday’s summit. 
Tentatively, the protocol could be signed in November, but experts have observed that this would also depend on how the partner states resolved a range of issues to pave the way for the pact.
 Despite EAC leaders’ desire to see the monetary union up and running, experts have pointed out several technicalities that are likely to further delay the conclusion of the process.

Key among the technicalities that have to be ironed out are the scope of EAMU, institutions necessary for its proper functioning, the macroeconomic convergence criteria and management of foreign reserves.

Others are the funding mechanism, transitional arrangements covering temporary and permanent institutions to be established during the transitional stage and harmonisation and coordination of fiscal policies.

Separate fiscal policies for a country in a single monetary union have been blamed for some of the major economic difficulties facing the Eurozone, and the EAC could face similar problems if the issue is not handled well, experts say.
A report of last week’s ministerial meeting that preceded the summit said experts working on the monetary union had observed considerable challenges with harmonisation and coordination of taxation.

“Partner states are at different levels of economic development and, therefore, need to provide for a provision for partner sates not to engage in harmful tax competition”, said the report seen by The Citizen.

On the establishment of the EAC Economic Stabilisation Policy, the experts maintained the facility should be established but the modalities and mechanism for its operation be left to be handled through a bill.
Institutions proposed for establishment under EAMU include the East African Financial Services Authority, East African Surveillance and Enforcement Commission and the East African Statistics Bureau.

The High Level Task Force (HLTF) observed names of the institutions should not be spelt out in the EAMU protocol, but provisions establishing each of these institutions be maintained “as they are critical to support the EAC Central Bank”.
In another development, the summit yesterday did not also agree on the extension of the jurisdiction of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) to include crimes against humanity.

Instead, the summit resolved that the five partners in the bloc – Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda – should consult further on the matter.

The previous summit had directed the Arusha-based secretariat to prepare a technical paper on how the powers of the Court can be extended to cover human crimes.
 The court, which is a judicial arm of EAC was launched in November 2001, is mandated to determine or arbitrate disputes arising out of cooperation among the member countries to the community.

That is despite Article 27 of the EAC Treaty providing the possibility for extension of its jurisdiction at a suitable subsequent date to include “such other original, appellate, human rights and other jurisdictions as determined by the EAC Council of Ministers”

The summit appointed former director general of the Communication Council of Kenya (CCK) Charles Jackson Njoroge as the new EAC deputy secretary general to replace another Kenyan national, Dr Julius Rotich, whose three-year tenure ends in June.

Mr Njoroge was sworn in along two new EACJ judges Faustine Ntezilyayo from Rwanda and Liboine Nkurunzinza from Burundi. Justice John Bosco Butasi was appointed the principal judge of the Court to replace Johnstone Busingye whose tenure is coming to an end.
Yesterday, the East African leaders sent a strong signal that the region would not tolerate any insecurity or destabilisation that would scare off investors or undermine its development efforts.

They said with major oil and gas discoveries made, the region must get rid of any threats posed to derail its quest to settle down and tap the vast natural resources for development. SOURCE THE CITIZEN

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NEC plans biometric system ahead of 2015

   

The NEC chairman, retired Judge Damian Lubuva, told a delegation from the Zimbabwe Electorial Commission (ZEC) that a decision had been made to put the system in place before the elections.“Yes we intend to introduce the biometric electoral system,” he said.Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) introduced the system ahead of the March 4 elections, but it was replete with technical glitches.

Biometric technology can be used to store unique physical characteristics including fingerprints and facial scans of voters in a database for identification.Mr Justice Lubuva said NEC was planning to float tenders for the acquisition of biometric electoral system, adding that its value was yet to be established.

He said NEC also planned to invite donors to fund the procurement and installation of the system.
The NEC chairman refuted claims that the commission was not transparent in the process of acquiring the system. “The whole decision was made by the government, which is our main stakeholder. There is no need of hiding the process from the public. Everything will be known after we complete the whole tendering procedure.”

Mr Justice Lubuva said the system should be in place before the 2015 elections if everything goes according to plan.
Utilising advanced biometric technology would lend accountability and transparency to the electoral system, he added.

“Adapting a cost effective and simple technology is a good way of solving the many election-related problems plaguing many African countries,” Mr Justice Lubuva said.

ZEC deputy chairperson Joyce Kazembe commended NEC for overseeing peaceful elections in Tanzania.
She added that Zimbabwe was optimistic that Tanzania would succeed in its endeavour to ensure electoral efficiency by introducing a biometric system.

Ms Kazembe said Zimbabwe was planning to acquire a similar system ahead of this year’s general election.
Mr Justice Lubuva said NEC was independent, and was not being directed or influenced by anybody.
“We are working professionally, contrary to what some of our detractors are claiming. We are here to serve Tanzanians, and not any individual or specific group,” he said.

Biometric technology is said to be one of the most reliable and secure methods that can be used in an election, it is the study of unique human features, which are then used to verify identity.

Usually, these unique features being used are the fingerprints, iris scans, facial features, voice recognition and even behavioural biometrics such as gait, posture and signature.
Biometrics technology, on the other hand, is the conversation of those unique human characteristics into computerized automatic identification of people.

 Retired Judge Damian Lubuva

Plans are afoot to introduce biometric voter registration ahead of the 2015 General Election, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) said yesterday.

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JK: Doors wide open for Dutch investors

PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete on Monday held talks with the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Frans Timmermans, where he hailed the support of the Dutch government and welcomed investments in various sectors.

The President who arrived here on Sunday night for an official visit of the Kingdom of The Netherlands at the invitation of the Dutch government said the two countries have enjoyed good relations, economic cooperation and mutual understanding, calling for further strengthening of the partnership.

He welcomed investors in horticulture, particularly in the southern highlands and Zanzibar; in agriculture and manufacturing sectors especially in food processing, textiles, in hide and leather products.

He said Tanzania needed capacity building in oil and gas exploration and in improvement of infrastructure at Mtwara and Tanga ports and expansion of the Dar es Salaam port. He is scheduled to visit the Rijk Zwaan Netherlands Ltd Company which operates in northern highlands and meet some members of the business community and academic institutions.

He will also meet with Princes Maxima at the Hague. Later on he will meet the Netherlands Queen Beatrix who is UN Secretary General Special advocate for inclusive financial development and honorary chair of the G20 ‘global Partnership for Financial Inclusion’.

He is scheduled to go to the Kasteel de Wittenburg where he will have tete-a- tete with Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr Henk Kamp, the Chairman of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry Employers (VNO-NCW), Mr Bernard Wientjes. There will be a Round Table to be hosted by the Minister for Economic Affairs , Mr Henk Kamp.

Tomorrow the President is expected to tour the Port of Rotterdam and get the development of the new scheme being implemented at Futureland, in Maaslakte.

He will also tour the harbour of Yangtze. Later in the day he will have a tete-a tete with the country’s Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, together with Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen and visit a shell company, before meeting Tanzanians living in the Netherlands. Source the newstz

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Dr Salim berates religious tensions, calls for harmony

The government has been urged to take serious measures in resolving the emerging religious tensions in the country before heightened animosities of people of various faiths tear apart.
The call was made in Dar es Salaam yesterday by former Organisation of African Unity secretary general Dr Salim Ahmed Salim as guest of honour at the 19th commemoration of Rwanda Genocide.

He said although government leaders are seeking a permanent solution to religious friction, more efforts are needed by all Tanzanians to make their country an island of peace and harmony.

 

“The government is working hard to address the problem but this matter should not be left to government leaders alone. It’s is a collective responsibility involving every Tanzanian,” Dr Salim stressed.

 

“What happened in Rwanda saddened all the people. If such a situation is not solved promptly, the country can face the same genocide. Religious beliefs are personal but the county’s peace is for all people,” he added.

 

Dr Salim, a member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s Central Committee appealed to the government to teach the youth on the importance of respecting each other because all people are equal regardless of their religious beliefs, tribes or colours.

 

“The country may enter into war if people will not obey the basis of respect regardless of their social differences,” he emphasised.

 

He added:  “As we strive to build the foundations for enduring democracy in our countries, we must, at the same time, promote tolerance and accommodation as fundamental determinants of national unity and concord. 

 

“Politics of intolerance and of exclusion have brought conflicts and untold sufferings to our people, we must bear in mind that the task of preventing genocide rests on our shoulders.”

 

He said that ethnic and cultural tolerance should always remain an important ingredient in all efforts towards democratization, adding that ethnic diversity should be considered and utilized as an asset rather than a liability.

 

Dr Salim quoted part of his speech when he was OAU Secretary saying “The tragedy of Rwanda, the systematic slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children, orphans and the sick, has shocked the world and brought into shame to us all.

 

The organised carnage that has been perpetrated against the people of that country (Rwanda) is a crime against humanity, which should not have been allowed to occur.” 

 

He said the international community has to continue to watch out for any signs of potential problems leading to genocide anywhere. 

 

“We must constantly remind ourselves and our governments about the need to faithfully adhere to the letter and spirit of the United Nations Resolutions in preventing genocide,” he stressed.

 

He called upon Africans to essentially strive on their own with or without outside assistance to seek for solutions to our own problems, by formulating strategies, establish and enable “home-made” mechanisms by providing the needed ability and impetus of responding quickly and effectively to various tragedies and conflicts. 

 

United National International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (UN-ICTR) spokesperson Roland Amoussouga said it was heartening to note that work at the trial level has been completed with respect to all 93 accused.

 

“This includes 55 first-instance judgments involving 75 accused, 10 referrals of cases of accused in custody and fugitives to national jurisdiction, transfer of the files of the three top-level fugitives for trial by Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT),” he said.

 

“The ICTR did not manage to arrest all of those indicted, through the referral to Rwanda of six fugitive cases and handling over of responsibility for tracking of the remaining three top-level fugitives to the Mechanism, it is signaling that the fight against impunity will continue unabated,” he noted.

                                                                                                                             

Amoussouga said in two cases where the indictments were withdrawn and three indictees who died prior to or in course of the trial. 

 

It should be noted that a total of 83 were physically arrested and brought to Arusha to face prosecution.

 

Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania Jama Gulaid said the UN has relied on committed states like Tanzania to provide peacekeeping troops and deeply appreciates the country’s ongoing contribution to peacekeeping.

 

“The UN thanks the government of Tanzania for conducting regular meeting of the Tanzania National Committee on the prevention and punishment of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes ad all forms of discrimination,” he said.Source The Guardins

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Malawi makes U-turn in lake border dispute

 Tanzanian Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe

Dar es Salaam/Lilongwe. Malawi says it is still banking on the SADC Forum of Former Heads of State and Government to resolve its border dispute with Tanzania.

In an apparent softening of Malawian President Joyce Banda’s earlier hard line stance, the country’s Foreign Affairs minister, Mr Ephraim Chiume, said Malawi had not yet pulled out of mediation led by the forum’s chairman, former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano.

Mr Chiume said in a press statement released in Lilongwe on Saturday that Malawi was committed to finding an amicable and lasting solution to the lake boundary dispute with Tanzania, through peaceful dialogue and diplomatic efforts.

“This is why Malawi gladly resorted to the mediation on the matter by the Forum of Former African Heads of State and Government, which is being chaired by His Excellency Joaquim Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique,” he said.

The statement was issued a day after Tanzanian Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe urged Malawi to continue with the mediation process.

Mr Membe told reporters on Friday that Malawi should revisit what was agreed at the Dar es Salaam meeting, in which the southern African country was represented by Mr Chiume. It was agreed that both countries should stick to the SADC mediation.

Mr Membe said the Sadc forum also confirmed to Tanzania last week that it was continuing with mediation.

“We have received the letter from Mr Chissano stressing the forum’s commitment to resolving the Lake Nyasa border dispute. We are happy that they have remained firm and honoured what Malawi and Tanzania agreed on during the November meeting in Dar es Salaam.”

In the letter, Mr Chissano says he has consulted with a number of high-profile legal experts and those with vast experience in border disputes within the continent.

Mr Chiume said a point of contention in the mediation was the Tanzanian national accused by President Banda of leaking information from the Malawian dossier on the dispute to Tanzania.

“It was the view of the Malawi government that the Executive Secretary’s participation may compromise the mediation process, and that the playing field may not be level,” the Malawian minister said in his statement.

The statement was issued a few days after President Banda told a press conference on her return from the US that the country would proceed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and dismissed the Sadc intervention as a “a waste of time.”

“Our earlier position was to go to the ICJ over this matter, but we did not want to be seen to be underrating the forum of former SADC leaders as our friends (Tanzania) had proposed to engage them,” she said. “We’re still waiting for them to make a determination. But if I have to tell Malawians the truth – it is a waste of time. It is better to go to the ICJ as we will be happy to respect the ruling of the court.”

But Saturday’s statement made no reference to the ICJ.

Malawi and Tanzania are at loggerheads over the ownership of Lake Nyasa, which is known in Malawi as Lake Malawi.

While Malawi claims its border is on the eastern shore of the lake, according to the 1890 Heligoland agreement, Tanzania says the border must be in the middle of the lake in accordance with international laws.

Negotiations over the dispute were initiated last year.

The first round of talks were held in the Malawian border town of Mzuzu in August but collapsed in September after Malawi said it was aggrieved by, according to President Banda, “Tanzania’s aggressive bahaviour.” This was after Tanzania published a new map, which, among other features, showed the boundary between Tanzania and Malawi as being in the middle of Lake Nyasa.




Tanzania offered an explanation by saying the new map was published to show a change in internal boundaries following the creation of new regions and districts. Dar es Salaam officials reminded their Malawi counterparts that Tanzanian maps have always showed that the common border runs at the middle of the lake.

But Malawi also claimed Tanzania’s security and defence forces were harassing fishermen in the lake. Lilongwe officials said negotiations would continue only after Dar es Salaam clarified on the new map and harassment issues. Last week, Lilongwe said Dar es Salaam had offered an explanation, but more clarification would be sought during the latest talks.

Talks resumed in November in Dar es Salaam but collapsed yet again and the two countries agreed to find a third party to mediate the dispute. They proceeded to the Sadc Forum.

Prospects of finding oil in the lake have intensified the wrangle after Malawi awarded a license to British firm Surestream to explore for oil in the north-eastern waters last year. source The Citizen

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Tensions heighten over Loliondo land disputeloli

                                                           Loliondo





Tensions have heightened in Loliondo, Ngorongoro District, following government decision to ‘stick to its guns’ in taking 1,500 square kilometres of land in eight villages inhabited by pastoralists for decades.

The area in dispute is the home of various animal species in the country’s northern tourist circuit.

Already, some ward councillors in the district have threatened to relinquish their positions in protest against government’s recent move to turn the area into a game conservation area.

Speaking at a meeting attended by more than 1,000 villagers, Ngorongoro District Council Chairman Elias Ngorisa said the situation in the area is tense as people want all local government leaders to step down from their political posts.

“As leaders we’re in a very difficult situation. Right now we’re working on how we can handle this issue because people are very furious with the government decision,” he said.

“Resigning from our posts will only worsen the situation … we’ll not resign at this early stage,” Ngorisa told the villagers of Loliondo and Sale wards, who camped at Wasso township.

He added: “We’ll sit with the government to find a lasting solution of handling the matter. Our hope is that government would re-consider its decision of allocating a huge land for being part of the Loliondo Game Controlled Area.”

Ngorisa’s statement received negative response of betrayal from the villagers who are coercing their leaders to resign over the matter.

Ngorongoro District Commissioner Elias Wawa Lali admitted that all 25 ward councillors had threatened to resign, but many have reversed the decision pledging to continue with their positions.

Three ward councillors – Daniel Ngoitiko of Soitsambu, Mathew Siloma of Aras and Yannick Ndoinyo of Ololosokwan still maintain their stand on relinquishing their positions.

Two weeks ago, Natural Resources and Tourism minister Khamis Kagasheki announced the government decision to divide the Loliondo Game Controlled Area measuring some 4,000 square kilometers into two parts.

The move would leave just 2,500 square kilometers under the residents of the area while the other 1,500 squares kilometers are to be strictly set aside for conservation to preserve water catchment areas as well as the wildlife corridor striding the adjacent Serengeti National Park.

The Loliondo Game Conservation Area -- comprising Loliondo and Sale divisions -- has 60,000 residents who also own 10,000 livestock.

Already, a great part of the Game Controlled Area has been leased to the Ortello Business Corporation (OBC) which conducts hunting in the area.

Many of these villagers as well as their animals stand to be highly affected by the pending displacement once the state starts executing the new land-use plan.

Loliondo borders the Ngorongoro highlands to the south, Serengeti National Park to the west, and the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya to the north. There are no physical barriers separating the LGCA from these other protected areas.

On March 26 this year the government announced the release of 2,500 out of the 4,000 square kilometres of the disputed area in Loliondo, Arusha Region, to the local population in what the government saw as the lasting solution to the 20-year land dispute.

Announcing the government’s decision, the Natural Resources and Tourism minister said the remaining 1,500 square acres of land would be used for conservation “for the benefit of the nation.”

He said the area given to the local population would be supervised by the surrounding villages in accordance with the Village Land Act No. 5 of the 1999.
“It is the government’s hope that this two-decade dispute would be solved once and for all,” he said.

Kagasheki said the government would provide services for the pastoralists living in the area which include dams for their livestock and facilities in the livestock auctions in the area.

He strongly spoke against politicians and activists who are of the view that investors in Loliondo area must be chased away to pave way for the local population.

He, however, said the government was ready to look afresh on the size of the area apportioned to Otterlo Business Corporation (OBC) and if possible be reduced so that the local population may get enough areas to conduct their activities “but not to chase the investor.”

On April 1 this year the government issued a statement pointing an accusing finger at some activists and non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) which it said were fueling disputes over Loliondo Game Controlled Area. Source the Guardian

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Govt busts fake permits syndicate

 Immigration Department spokesperson Mbaraka Batenga displays � at a press briefing in Dar es Salaam
            yesterday � forged residence permits and receipts


Three arrested
 
The Immigration Department has apprehended three persons claimed to belong to a syndicate engaged in the manufacture of various government and private firm documents including stamps and residence permits worth millions of money.

The Department’s spokesperson, Mbaraka Batenga said that when the suspects were arrested they were found in possession of 14 Class “B” residence permits worth USD28, 700 with a street value of 46m/-.

Batenga released the names of the suspects as Benetty Mtatiro Itang’are, Benedicto Rweikiza alias ‘Mr Masuti’ and January Mutembei who were arrested nearby their office at Mkwepu and Simu Streets in Dar es Salaam.

“We paid an unofficial visit to their office and found them in possession of the residence permits, more than 100 receipts and 56 forged rubber stamps of various government and private institutions.

The forged rubber stamps, he said, were of government municipalities, banks, the government emblem, Immigration Department, Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), CRDB Bank and the Traffic Police Department among others.

The suspects were also found with birth and death certificates, plain and unnumbered ERVs. National Insurance stickers and Comesa yellow cards.
Others documents they were found in possession of include church, mosque and hospital stamps.

The fraudulent conduct, Batenga said, has been costing the government a big loss in terms of revenue.
He called upon Tanzanians to avoid using shortcuts to access legal documents through unscrupulous middlemen and instead follow the required channels and procedures.

He also warned employers who employ foreigners to also observe the law by following legal procedures in acquiring relevant and legal work or residence permits for their workers instead of embarking on fraudulent middlemen.

Batenga further urged persons who have acquired residence permits from such people either knowingly or unknowingly to surrender them to the Immigration Department for verification.

He asserted that if the documents will be proven illegitimate they would be required to apply for new ones.

Nevertheless, he said, the Immigration Department is looking for a possibility of installing an online system which will enable persons with residence permit to personally verify their documents without having to visit the department.

Last year the Immigration Department modified residence permits by adding security features so that they would not be easily forged, a move that has helped to minimise the number of illegal documents, he said.

“We believe that the network dealing with the issuing of illegal permits and the like is wide thus the investigation is still in progress, meanwhile those who have been arrested will be brought before the court today,” he said.

Last year the Immigration Department ordered all foreign nationals holding Class A, B and C residence permits to submit them to regional or district immigration offices for replacement.

It did not specify the reasons for the mandatory replacement, although the purpose might have been to identify fraudulently issued residence permits.  source The Guardian

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