Closure of Refugee Camps Cause for Economic Pinch in Kigoma
Leonard Mubali 23 March 2010
Kigoma Kigoma region is beginning to feel an economic pinch resulting from the closure of refugee camps in the region, it has been learnt.
Farmers operating close to the closed camps said during an interview with this reporter at the weekend that refugees were their workforce for their farming activities, as they often visited their farms to ask for piece works.
Only two out of six refugee camps so far remain in Kasulu district, Kigoma region, leading to reduced circulation of money to the expense of the entire regional economy.
Financial institutions, which were reaping from workers of various humanitarian agencies operating in the region, are also amongst the first casualties of the closure of the refugee camps.
The camps, which were accommodating refugees mostly from the civil war torn countries of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, recruited a number of workers.
The National Social Security fund (NSSF) manager in the region, Mr James Mashinga, said the fund had recorded shortfall of over Sh400 million in contribution collections as a result of the retrenchment of the humanitarian agencies' workers.
NSSF could not meet its target of collecting about Sh1.5 billion worth of workers' contributions between last July and February due to the sudden reduction of the workforce in the region.
The NSSF regional manager also attributed collection of only 72 per cent of the targeted contribution during the period in review to some employers' reluctance to submit their workers' contributions.
Meanwhile, Mr Mashinga said NSSF in the region was intending to sue some employers for allegedly failing to submit their employees' contributions to the fund.
One of the side effects of the refugee camps in Kigoma and neighbouring regions, however, was the increased rate of crime caused by some unscrupulous refugees as well as an increased rate of environment
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201003231435.html
Leonard Mubali 23 March 2010
Kigoma Kigoma region is beginning to feel an economic pinch resulting from the closure of refugee camps in the region, it has been learnt.
Farmers operating close to the closed camps said during an interview with this reporter at the weekend that refugees were their workforce for their farming activities, as they often visited their farms to ask for piece works.
Only two out of six refugee camps so far remain in Kasulu district, Kigoma region, leading to reduced circulation of money to the expense of the entire regional economy.
Financial institutions, which were reaping from workers of various humanitarian agencies operating in the region, are also amongst the first casualties of the closure of the refugee camps.
The camps, which were accommodating refugees mostly from the civil war torn countries of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, recruited a number of workers.
The National Social Security fund (NSSF) manager in the region, Mr James Mashinga, said the fund had recorded shortfall of over Sh400 million in contribution collections as a result of the retrenchment of the humanitarian agencies' workers.
NSSF could not meet its target of collecting about Sh1.5 billion worth of workers' contributions between last July and February due to the sudden reduction of the workforce in the region.
The NSSF regional manager also attributed collection of only 72 per cent of the targeted contribution during the period in review to some employers' reluctance to submit their workers' contributions.
Meanwhile, Mr Mashinga said NSSF in the region was intending to sue some employers for allegedly failing to submit their employees' contributions to the fund.
One of the side effects of the refugee camps in Kigoma and neighbouring regions, however, was the increased rate of crime caused by some unscrupulous refugees as well as an increased rate of environment
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201003231435.html
