Tanzania's president decries graft, visa hurdles at entry points

By Kizito Makoye

TANGA, Tanzania (AA) - Tanzania is still riddled with red tape and graft at border posts, with foreigners forced to pay kickbacks to secure entry visas and permits, according to the nation’s president.

That is despite being equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic system at the immigration department.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed deep concern last week about corruption allegations and red tape at entry points, urging officials to immediately halt the practice.

“I have ordered officials from respective points of entry to be replaced. They must learn to refrain from engaging in corruption,” she said in the northern Tanga region, officiating the end of immigration officer training.

The immigration agency is doing a good job except for a few corrupt officers at border posts, she said.

She cited a survey in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam early this year which found that a huge chunk of money paid by visa applicants had been swindled by dishonest officials.

“These incidents should end, and all implicated officials should be taken to task in order to give a lesson to others who might be tempted to act like them,” she said.

- Litany of complaints

The president warned officials to be friendly to visitors, end systemic bureaucracy in visa issuance and added that technology should play an important role to speed up the process.

The revelations by the president come amid a litany of complaints from foreigners who accuse officials of blackmail, harassment and intimidation when seeking or renewing permits.

“I came to Tanzania as a tourist. I have fallen in love with the country and decided to extend my stay. I was surprised to see immigration officials knocking at the gate of a guest house I was staying, inquiring to see my passport,” Adam Floyd, a tourist from the US state of Georgia, told Anadolu Agency. “I know they wanted to harass me but I was not intimidated because I had everything and my permit was still intact.”

Corruption, sheer negligence, nepotism and red tape have long become the salient feature of most public institutions in Tanzania, shattering the dreams and aspirations of those seeking important services.

In 2014, the immigration services department rescinded the jobs of 70 newly recruited officials amid nepotism allegations that had blighted the image of the agency.

The decision to cancel the jobs was made after claims that 29 officials might not have been recruited on merit, since they were blood relatives to senior officials in the department.

- Rampant corruption

Despite improvements, corruption and red tape are still endemic in the public sector. Tanzania remains one of the most corrupt in the world. It scored 39 out of 100 on the 2021 Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

At the Horohoro border post in the northern Tanga region, foreigners seeking immigration services complained that they were being harassed and made to stay in line for hours. Others accused officers of branding them as illegal immigrants.

“It is true there is a lot of bureaucracy. Officials are being rude to foreigners and in some cases they solicit bribes,” said Dickson Kiriuki from Kenya.

Immigration officials denied the allegations.

Observers said the state of affairs is indicative of a porous system with inadequate monitoring mechanisms within the agency.

“Nobody can dispute that some dishonest official take bribes at the immigration department,” said Michael Bante, a political commentator based in Dar es Salaam.

He noted that immigration work at border posts is often done by junior officers, who operate with little oversight in areas where bribery is simply the way of doing business.

- Simplified process

Tanzania has an online visa system where applicants can request a visa and pay without physically showing up at an immigration office.

Foreign nationals who require a visa can apply on the country’s eVisa online without visiting an embassy.

Paul John Msele, spokesman for Tanzanian immigration, said the electronic visa application has simplified the process and removed unnecessary inconvenience.

“Everything is done electronically and payments are being made electronically. There’s no chance for anyone to abuse the procedure,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Msele said the new system is particularly useful at the border control sites because it reduces the number of visas on arrival.

“The electronic visa system has enhanced border security as well as facilitating the process of getting visas for tourists who visit Tanzania,” he said.