Tanzania dumps freed convicts at Taveta border

Seventy-four Ethiopians have been dumped at the Taveta border after completing jail terms in Tanzania’s prisons.

Kenya officials blamed their Tanzanian counterparts for dumping the Ethiopians on the Kenyan side of the border town early Tuesday instead of deporting them to their motherland.

By mid-Tuesday, the Ethiopians were still stranded at the no-man’s land.

According to the Kenya Immigration department and local administration officials in Taita-Taveta County, the Ethiopians were brought to the border town in the morning.

Taveta Deputy County Commissioner Henry Wafula and area Immigration Officer Lundu Kisia claimed the foreigners were escorted by Tanzanian authorities to the border after completion of their jail terms.

“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,” said Mr Wafula in an interview Tuesday.

“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.

The immigration officer argued that international law requires Tanzania to facilitate the return of Ethiopians to their country after completing their prison terms.

Mr Kisia said Kenya will not take over what he described as Tanzania’s burden under international law.

89 arrested

The incident brings to 89 the number of foreigners arrested or held in the border regions in past two months, including six Somali nationals were arrested with fake Kenya passports.

The six were arrested in Moshi, Tanzania, and handed over to Kenya authorities for investigations.

Police and immigration officials said the six suspects were travelling to South Africa.

Wafula said security personnel had intensified a major crackdown on aliens and anyone found facilitating their movements in the area would be arrested and prosecuted.

“Police have been put on high alert to ensure that the area is rid of aliens,” said the commissioner.