Tanzania rejects EAC proposed land reforms

[BAK]

Proposed EAC land reforms:No way, Tanzania continues to insist

THISDAY REPORTER & AGENCIES
Dar es Salaam

TANZANIA has reiterated that the proposed land reforms being vigorously pursued by Kenyan politicians that seek to allow foreign citizens to own vast tracts of land within the country are totally out of the question.

The Deputy Minister for East African Co-operation, Mohammed Aboud, told reporters in the Ugandan capital Kampala that Tanzania is not ready to adopt the controversial issue of cross-border private land ownership within the region.

In a joint press briefing with the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Abdirahin Abdi, Aboud insisted that there was no way Tanzania will bow to ongoing pressure from within the East African Community (EAC) to approve the proposal.

He also said Tanzania is not ready to adopt the East African passport as an identification document for people seeking to move from one EAC country to another and settle there.

The EALA started its two-week session in Kampala on Tuesday.

Latest media reports from Kampala, quoted Aboud as saying: ''In Tanzania, land is public and we are okay with that. We also feel that our own (Tanzanian) passport should remain as a national identity document. Why shouldn�t these other (EAC) countries adopt our land laws?''

Land in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi is largely privately-owned, but in Tanzania land ownership is entirely the prerogative of the state.

Said Aboud: ''In Kenya, only 10 per cent of land is actually owned privately. In Uganda, you also have problems with the Kabaka...why not adopt our land ownership system?''

He said Tanzania wants to maintain its own passport as a national ID for fear of foreign criminals entering the country.

''We have such experience. We therefore have to consider such security issues,'' the deputy minister was quoted as stating.

EAC member states plan to introduce one passport for citizens of all five member states - Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi.

Kenyan and Ugandan politicians have been accusing Tanzania of being ''slow and hesitant'' to support reforms for regional integration, claiming that the situation is likely to drag the 2012 planned political federation.

EALA Speaker Abdi said a technical team composed of members from partner states would meet in Rwanda next month ''to discuss the variance position of Tanzania on the (EAC) Common Market.''

Kenya's EAC Minister, Jeffah Kingi, recently accused Tanzania outright of frustrating efforts towards the integration of the five member countries into one regional bloc.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, Kingi said Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi were all feeling frustrated by Tanzania towards the integration agenda.

He accused Tanzania of being a stumbling bloc to integration, citing the recent 19th extraordinary council of ministers meeting held on November 11-12 in Zanzibar where Tanzania rejected several recommendations and stated that it wanted to ''go slow'' on the integration process.

But in reaction to the Kenyan minister's comments, deputy minister Aboud told THISDAY in an interview at the time that Tanzania remains fully committed to the process, but only wants the transition to be gradual.

After the Zanzibar meeting, the Minister for East African Cooperation, Dr Diodorus Kamala, announced that outstanding issues on land ownership, free movement, and permanent residence had been put on hold until March next year to provide room for further discussions and consultations.

Kamala was quoted by some local media outlets as saying proposals for allowing East African residents to acquire land in other countries of the region were not in the interests of Tanzanians.

''Land is a very sensitive and intractable issue�we quite explicitly believe it shouldn't be part of the ongoing discussions on the Common Market protocol,'' the minister was quoted as saying.

 

[OpenMinded]

Unajua inafurahisha kuona jinsi inavyoweza kuwa rahisi kuona tofauti baina ya watu ambao wanaweza kudhani hawana tofauti kubwa. Katika kuliangalia suala hili la jumuiya utagundua tofauti kubwa iliyopo kati ya Tanzania na nchi nyingine wanachama za EAC. Nimejaribu kufikiria ni kwa nini Tanzania inapinga mapendekezo ya Kenya (kuhusu umilikaji ardhi na hati za kusafiria) lakini wakati huohuo Kenya na nchi nyingine tatu zimekuwa mara nyingi zimekuwa zikikubaliana na mapendekezo ya Tanzania. Sababu zinaweza kuwa nyingi, mojawapo ni ukweli kwamba Watanzania hawana ubinafsi na katika mapendekezo yake Tanzania imejaribu mara zote kuangalia namna ya kuwasaidia ndugu zake hawa katika kutatua matatizo yake ambayo ni ya kihistoria(nisingependa kuingia huko kwa urefu) na zaidi ni ukabila. Tanzania imejitahidi mara zote kuhakikisha ndugu zake hawa wanaishi kwa amani na mara nyingine, nchi hii imelazimika kulipa gharama kubwa katika kulifikia lengo hili. Tofauti na Tanzania nchi zingine zilizobaki zimejengwa katika misingi ya kujali mali na faida binafsi za kiuchumi kuliko athari za kijamii zinazoweza kutokea, ndiyo maana ni rahisi sana kwa nchi kama Kenya kupendekeza nchi zote kubinafsisha ardhi kwa sababu inatapata faida kubwa regardless(samahani) of what could be the effect for Tanzania. Kwa kweli inabidi kwanza kukabiliana na migawanyo ya kikabila iliyopo katika nchi hizi ambayo hupelekea viongozi wake kuangalia zaidi mafanikio yao binafsi kabla ya wengine.

 

[waltham]

There is an acute problem of land in Kenya,Uganda,Rwanda and Burundi.Kenya was the country which strongly opposed the EAC of the yester years and was the main reason of its disintergration.

The times have now changed and Kenya now needs more land for her growing population and Tanzania is the only country which still has plenty of it .



The agenda for the Common Market from our neighbour's perspective is to use our resources to provide good life for ther citizens.

We have to be very cautious when dealing with them.

i like your perspective.lakini kama kenya yahitaji more land.umbaya upo wapi.gulf countries are renting land in africa.ex. msumbiji.bona hampigi kamsa kupinga.what i cld expect from tz is this is our policy of giving out land bcoz we have it in plenty ndio wananchi wake wafaidi.kila siku tz imepinga.jamani.or u say i dont give land out.period lets discuss another issue.and the EA will decide as a community kwa sababu tz ilijoin bila shurutisho na ikajua maamuzi yatakuwa ya pamoja.

 

[emike]

Lengo langu halikuwa ku-focus kwenye suala la ardhi. Bali ECA kwa ujumla. Ndiyo maana kuna sehemu nilisema jinsi gani tulivyo mstari wa mbele ku-sign masuala ya SADC wakati kwenye EAC tunasitasita. Kwa mfano suala la FTA kwenye SADC TZ tulikwa wa kwanza ku-sign bila hata kuwauliza wananchi wetu lakini kwenye EAC ilikuwa ngoma.

Hivi unajua siku hivi TZ inapata matatizo sana kutoka kwa donors kwa vile iko SADC na vilevile iko EAC? Mfano EU siku hizi wanakata ku-fund project ya SADC mpaka TZ ijitoe kwa vile similar project TZ ilikuwa funded kwenye EAC.

mkuu nadhani umekosea msakbali wa tz hautegemei donors bali choice ya watanzania ya watanzania wenyewe!!!!!!

 

[Tutafika]

This was 2008, what is the story today?

 

[MK254]

We are now used to Tz rejecting anything and everything in EAC, I am so glad our leaders have set the ship out into the high seas, no more conferences and meetings, we need to see it happening. Most likely other countries like Burundi and Congo will see sense and join us, since they are normally not so bitter. it's EAC moment, lets fly this thing guys.