Eyakuze’s citizenship probe in new twist
Twaweza executive director Aidan Eyakuze.
What you need to know:
It is not yet over for Twaweza executive director Aidan Eyakuze and others whose citizenship statuses are being probed by the Immigration Department as authorities now say the investigations will take longer than expected since they (investigations) are being conducted within and outside the country.
Mr Eyakuze has not yet been given his passport back since it (the passport) was confiscated by the Immigration Department in August.
Dar es Salaam. Twaweza executive director Aidan Eyakuze may have to wait a little longer before the Immigration Department decides on whether to return his confiscated passport following reports that investigations into his citizenship have now moved to foreign countries.
Meanwhile, Mr Eyakuze said yesterday that confiscation of his passport was making it increasingly difficult for him to undertake his duties effectively.
“I have not received any information from the Immigration Department…I have not yet received my passport....I cannot go outside the country on my official duties,” he told The Citizen yesterday.
The Immigration Department’s spokesman Ally Mtanda said yesterday that investigations into people whose citizenship status was under probe was taking long because investigators must get information from within the country and outside.
Apart from Mr Eyakuze, some of the people whose citizenships were currently being probed included the chairman of Tanzania Students Network Programme (TSNP), Mr Omar Nondo and Full Gospel Bible Fellowship Church Bishop Zachary Kakobe.
“Investigations of this nature do take long because they are conducted within and outside the country. When we are done with investigations, we will invite them and if need be, we will talk to the media,” said Mr Mtanda.
Mr Eyakuze’s passport was taken by the Immigration Department in August, this year, just four days after Twaweza released an opinion poll indicating that the popularity of President John Magufuli had declined.
Soon after the poll results were released, the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (Costech) issued a seven-day ultimatum to Twaweza to explain why legal measures should not be taken against the organisation for allegedly conducting a survey without first securing a permit.
But when the letter was made public via social media, Costech acting director general Amos Nungu called a press conference and absolved Twaweza of any wrong doing, saying the organisation had addressed all the concerns raised in the letter.
On the other hand, Abdul Nondo was summoned by the Immigration Department over his citizenship. He was earlier accused of “self-kidnapping” and being alarmist about his whereabouts. He has since been suspended from university, pending a court case.
He told The Citizen yesterday that last month (September) he submitted to the Immigration Department his birth certificates together with those belonging to his parents as ordered. He said, however, that he was unable to submit birth certificates for his grandparents because they did not have them.
“My grandparents do not have birth certificates so I only submitted to the Immigration Department the passports which they used when they travelled to Libya in 1980s. However, the passports were turned down. I was instead told to submit other exhibits that would be proof of my citizenship as the department continues with its investigations,” he said.
the passports were turned down. I was instead told to submit other exhibits that would be proof of my citizenship as the department continues with its investigations,” he said.
