Tanzania is one of a handful of African countries that fully restricts dual citizenship.
However, two months ago, the government “proposed amendments to its law so as to introduce a ‘special status’ to citizens of other countries with Tanzanian roots” (The Citizen, November 11, 2024).
The main motivation behind that proposed bill, if not the only one, is to attract investment from, and economic engagement by, the diaspora.
To fully achieve that goal, short of allowing dual citizenship, the proposed bill needs improvement.
The bill focuses on Tanzanians who have lost their Tanzanian citizenship after acquiring citizenship of other countries.
If the proposed bill is approved, those former Tanzanian citizens who apply and receive special status would be granted the right to (a) enter Tanzania without a visa, (b) own property and engage in social and economic activities in Tanzania without a citizenship requirement, (c) apply for some form of a special status for their spouses and children, and (d) bequeath their property to their descendants.
When granted, the special status is good for only 10 years, but renewable.
While the special status is better than nothing, there are two main ways the proposed bill can be improved. First, make the special status lifelong.
Second, don’t require Tanzanians abroad first to lose their Tanzanian citizenship before their spouses and children who are not Tanzanians can be eligible for some special status.
A special status that is not permanent creates an element of uncertainty which would make potential investors refrain from long-term investments.
Ironically, the special status would allow one to lease land for up to 33 years, but their special status, each time it is granted, would only be for 10 years.
The fact that the special status is renewable is not necessarily very reassuring.
One must keep in mind that decisions on such renewal applications may not depend only on the facts presented by the applicants, but also on the political climate in the country at the time of application.
It would be naïve for someone who was granted special status to assume that renewal, after 10 years, would be automatic just because they met some specific stated criteria.
People will, therefore, be cautious and engage only in short-term investment projects that would not suffer too much in the way of losses should they not be granted renewal of the special status.
If part of the reason for not making special status permanent is the potential government revenue that would be generated through repeated application fees, it is better to have a high, one-time application fee, instead.
The proposed bill is oblivious to Tanzanians in the diaspora who may have taken permanent residence in other countries, but have remained Tanzanian citizens.
According to the proposed bill, if those individuals would like their spouses and children, who are not Tanzanians, to have “special status” and acquire inheritance in Tanzania, they must first lose their Tanzanian citizenship.
For nationalistic or other reasons, some Tanzanians in the diaspora may not want to lose their citizenship.
However, they may want their immediate family members to have easy entry into Tanzania and have the right to own property and engage fully in social and economic activities.
Given what the bill is already proposing, it is only logical and fair that this category of family members also be given the opportunity to have special status.
The proposed bill is long overdue and it is a move in the right direction. But it can be improved to achieve its objectives more fully and to be fair.
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Tanzania’s opposition party ACT Wazalendo honours veteran politician under new policy
Unguja. Opposition party ACT Wazalendo today officially bids farewell to its former Chairman, Juma Duni Haji, also known as Babu Duni, as part of a new policy designed to honor retired senior leaders at a ceremony held at Kiembesamaki, Zanzibar.
The initiative highlights the party’s commitment to recognizing and supporting individuals who have served with dedication and integrity.
Babu Duni, who stepped down earlier this year, was succeeded by Othman Masoud, now the First Vice President of Zanzibar.
The policy aims to provide ongoing respect and support to retired leaders, ensuring their continued recognition and contribution to the party’s development.
“Recognizing their significant contributions to the development and prosperity of the party, this policy ensures that retired leaders continue to be acknowledged and respected by both the party and the community,” the policy states.
To benefit from this policy, leaders must not have left or been expelled from the party. They must have served the party with honor and dedication. The national leadership committee will determine whether a leader has fulfilled these criteria.
The policy seeks to honor retired leaders, protect their dignity, acknowledge their contributions, leverage their ideas for the party’s growth, and support them to the best of the party’s ability.
In honoring these leaders, the party will provide a vehicle, the type of which will be determined by the national leadership committee. Additionally, they will receive a monthly allowance, with the amount also set by this committee.
Other benefits include health insurance. If a leader does not own a home, the party will cover their rent at a rate decided by the committee.
The leadership committee may also grant special recognition based on the leader’s contributions. Retired leaders will participate in decision-making meetings according to procedures outlined in the party’s constitution.
Depending on the party’s resources at the time, the policy may also apply to retired deputy chairpersons for both the mainland and Zanzibar, the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General for both mainland and Zanzibar, and the party’s Attorney General.
Additionally, leaders, executives, or members with exceptional contributions to the party’s protection, advocacy, and defense may also benefit, as determined by the leadership committee.
Currently, those who are eligible for benefits under this policy include Juma Duni Haji (retired party Chairman) and Zitto Kabwe (retired party leader).Continue Reading
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Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.
The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.
In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.
Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.
“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”
Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Source: allafrica.com
