Skip to main content

How CPJ Media Experts Violated Tanzanian Immigration, Press Laws


By Staff Correspondent, Nairobi

The Tanzanian Immigration and Media Authorities have finally resolved the day long crisis following allegations that CPJ media experts were illegally arrested and have their passports confiscated. A number of media outlets globally burst into action demanding an immediate release of the two.

However, hours later, it has now come into limelight that the media experts, Kenyan Mumo Muthoki and South African Angela Maria Quital had violated a number of Tanzanian laws prompting the temporary arrest. The two confessed their mistakes and apologized.
Mumo left and Maria: it was not clear what secret mission they had by concealing their actual purpose of visiting the EAC country, Tanzania.
A statement from the country’s Immigration Department, said the two were granted “holiday visit” visa upon entry in Dar es Salaam. The visa category does not allow one to engage into any work activities, let alone media practice, that require additional separate press card process.

Sources in Tanzania confirmed that the two however instead of enjoying their “holiday” in Tanzania as per their own visa request, turned to engage themselves into media advocacy work.
“They interviewed a number of us at the Southern Sun Hotel on press issues and they also met with many other media practitioners in Tanzania,” confessed Deodatus Balile, Chairman of the Tanzanian Editors Forum (TEF).

The Tanzanian famous social media platform, JamiiForum, posted another  revelation that the CPJ media officials, on top of the media interviews, they went ahead to interview several local politicians, something that casts further doubts on the actual purpose of visiting Tanzania.

Tanzanian Chief Spokesperson through his twitter handle “TZSpokesperson” confirmed that the two were finally set free with their passports back and were allowed to enjoy their holiday if they so wished. They were, however, barred from engaging into any work unless they follow appropriate legal procedures emphasizing compliance with the laws. The tweet reads in part:

“It should be known that they violated immigration as well as press laws. Journalists must take the lead in compliance to rule of law.”

Apart from the Immigration laws, the CPJ practitioners also violated section 19 of the Tanzanian Media Services Law, of 2015 which makes it mandatory for foreign journalists who enter Tanzania for short assignments to have a 90 days temporary press card.

“This event is a lesson to media practitioners that as proponents of rule of law, they are also bound to lead by example, which is, comply with the laws,” said a member of the Kenyan Editors Guild.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Facts The Economist Got Them Wrong on Magufuli

DAR ES SALAAM, East Africa:  By Dr. Hernan Louise Verhofstadt* “ A BIT like President Donald Trump, Tanzania’s president, John Magufuli, likes to fire employees on television. In November Mr. Magufuli used a live broadcast from a small town in the north of the country summarily to dismiss two officials,” this is an extract from a recent online article I came across from the newspaper that I admired when I was growing up in Europe back in 1990’s; the Economist . Before I venture into other serious issues, the excerpts above contains gross factual errors; my own fact-check indicates that in the named public rally during the opening of Kagera Airport, there was no summary dismissal of the two officials instantly on television, as alleged. Instead, the two, one District Executive Directors for Bukoba Urban and another for Rural were relieved their duties later through a press release from President’s Office.   This is my prima impressio reading the Econom...
45 comments
Read more

Tundu Lissu, a despot in the shadow?

By Masinde Masondore, Montreal, Canada, 01-04-2018:  WHEN a learned politician brags of publicly embarrassing his President and counts it an honor while deliberately sabotages the nation's economic interests is a misfit in African traditions. 'Africans have had own ways of criticising the King, the way it happened in ancient Israel, however, in any case, the nation's interests were set apart from any sabotage," Gilbert Moshi. Tindu Lissu, a controversial Tanzanian opposition politician would be leaning on a wrong wall. He chose a road less travelled by learned individuals who mostly were rational. The road he walks and the philosophy he exhibit, only label him a tyranny of darkness. Any democratic leader, whether in opposition or ruling party ought to be totally enveloped in wisdom which prevents monumental errors of judgment. Lissu does not exhibit a minute of it. One of the pillars of customer-focused policies in the business world i...
10 comments
Read more

Magufuli Honours Promise As Dangote Factory Gets Direct Gas Supply

Production on of affordable cement now to start next month  By Correspondents Dar and Nairobi, 15:16 GMT Under his famed “delivery per se” policy, the government of Tanzania under President John Pombe Magufuli has finally confirmed that it has completed its phase mission of connecting Dangote cement plant in Mtwara, in the southern region of Tanzania, to the natural gas to generate the needed 35MW. Mr. Aliko Dangote in a tete a tete with President Magufuli at the inaugaration of the plant last year. Speaking at the end of his tour of the factory, the Energy Minister Dr. Medard Kalemani said the government was committed to supply the natural gas resource to enable Dangote cement plant access affordable energy for smooth cement production. The factory is one of the biggest cement plants in Southern Africa providing affordable cement to locals and countries in the vicinity. “I am telling you TPDC, if the factory delays to complete its i...
5 comments
Read more