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Parliament delays special status of Tanzanian diaspora

Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania, Dr. Tulia Ackson, addresses Parliament in Dodoma on January 28, 2025. PHOTO | HAMIS MNIHA


What you need to know:

  • Initially, the Attorney General, Hamza Johari, had removed sections in September 2024, citing the need for more time to refine the issues, and now, in January 2025, Speaker Dr Ackson has confirmed the removal of these amendments while other sections of the bill are ready for presentation.

Dodoma. National Assembly Speaker Dr Tulia Ackson has once again removed the amendments to the Immigration Act, Chapter 54, aimed at introducing a special status procedure (Diaspora Tanzanite Card) for Tanzanians holding citizenship in other countries.

Parliament has also  removed the amendments to the Land Act, Chapter 113 as part of the Miscellaneous Amendments Bill No. 4 of 2024.

These amendments were proposed to establish a procedure for granting special-status individuals the right to own land in Tanzania through a special title deed.

However, both the amendments to the Immigration Act and the Land Act were removed for further work by the Parliament.

This is the second time these sections have been removed.

Initially, the Attorney General, Hamza Johari, had removed them in September 2024, citing the need for more time to refine the issues, and now, in January 2025, Speaker Dr Ackson has confirmed the removal of these amendments while other sections of the bill are ready for presentation.

However, on November 8, 2024, the government reintroduced the amendments into the bill, which was then sent to the Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution and Legal Affairs for analysis.

Yesterday before the bill was scheduled for a second reading in Parliament, Dr Ackson had directed the Attorney General not to present the two sections concerning the Immigration and Land Acts, saying they were still being worked on.

“Our bill has nine sections, but in section five on amendments to the Immigration Act and section seven concerning amendments to the Land Act, these two sections are still being worked on by Parliament.

“However, all the other sections are ready. Therefore, the Attorney General will present all the other sections except those two,” said the National Assembly Speaker.

She added that once the work on these two sections is completed, the proper procedure would be followed before reintroducing them.

The proposed amendments that were reintroduced in November 2024 included sections 36A to 36E, which set conditions for granting special status to foreign nationals who were once Tanzanian citizens or descendants of Tanzanians.

The provisions were designed to benefit individuals who previously held Tanzanian citizenship, or whose parent, grandparent, or ancestor were citizens of the United Republic of Tanzania.

According to the bill, individuals granted special status would receive a Tanzanite Diaspora Card, which would serve as proof of their special status, enabling them to enter Tanzania and engage in economic and social activities.

The proposed changes also outlined the conditions of the card, including its validity period, dependents and the procedure for revoking it.

Furthermore, Section 45 of the Immigration Act was proposed to be amended to include penalties for offenses committed by holders of the Tanzanite Diaspora Card, similar to those for visa, permit, certificate, and passport holders under the law.

Regarding the Land Act, Section 19 was proposed to be amended to include a procedure for land use by those granted special status under the Immigration Act.

The proposed amendments would allow these individuals to own land through a special title deed issued by the Commissioner for Lands.

The purpose of these changes was to enable foreign nationals of Tanzanian descent to own, inherit, or purchase land in Tanzania.