What do we learn from operation ‘Kimbunga’?

Dar es Salaam. While on his official visit in Kagera Region in August this year President Jakaya Kikwete after listening to residents’ complaints about illegal immigrants from Rwanda, Burundi and DRC, he declared to form a task force that would organise a special operation to ensure all illegal immigrants in Kagera, Kigoma and possibly in Simiyu and Geita regions are sent back to their home countries.

The task force, which was formed to do the job comprised officers from Police Force, the Department of Immigration, the Intelligence Unit and Tanzania People’s Defence Force. However, President Kikwete gave illegal immigrants a two -week grace period to leave the country on their own before the operation.

It was reported through the media that a good number of illegal immigrants left the country on their own free will, but thousands others did not respond to President Kikwete’s plea.

The Operation Kimbunga, simply meaning a “fierce task force” for that purpose began its work for nabbing immigrants residing in the country illegally. As the operation in those regions comes to an end, we are told thousands of illegal immigrants already netted, some of them have been in the country for many years.

It is not enough to commend the task force personnel conducting the operation for their achievements only, but we need also as a country to ask ourselves how did we come to this point of having countless numbers of illegal immigrants, while we have laws and institutions in place to control our borders. The answer is a simple - it is because of lack of serious administration and leadership in almost all levels of our government.

Ironically, the problem of illegal immigrants is just the tip of the iceberg. For many decades our country has been faced with many problems related to direct violations of existing laws and nothing serious has been done to solve those problems.

For instance, the killing of albinos and elderly women in the Lake Zone has been happening for years without the attention of state authorities until recently when the state authorities woke up from sleep. Tanzania has been notorious for poaching for many years and the responsible authorities and country’s leadership has not done enough in this regard.

We are told that 30 years ago Africa had about 3 million elephants, but due to chronic poaching the continent is left with about 400,000 elephants and if the problem is not addressed we will have no elephants in 10 years to come. We should remember God will never create any elephant again.

In order to fight against poaching, President Kikwete has decided to deploy the TPDF to protect our elephants.

This is another kind of Operation Kimbunga. We are likely to become the country of operations in every area of our national interest. We cannot rely on operations like this of Kimbunga to run the country effectively and efficiently for a common good. We need to scrutinise our institutions, which have been mandated to take care of our borders, to protect our wildlife, forests, and land.

We have both good policies and laws, but we still witness poor enforcement and management of our resources. What is wrong with us?

Apart from national institutions like the Police Force, the national security system, the Immigration Department and the TPDF, we also have government administrative systems from regional to village level. Good enough, we have what are known as regional and district safety and security committees headed by regional and district commissioners respectively. These committees are known in Kiswahili as ‘kamati za ulinzi na usalma’ (committees for defence and security).

What are the functions of these committees? Do these committees exist for national interest or are just there politically? If these committees are really there to do what they are supposed to do, why then the country is facing a lot and chronic problems? For how long the lives of our fellow Tanzanians will continue be in danger of armed robbers, while we have defence and security committees in every region and district?

Because of the existence of security committees in every region and district, no one of us would anticipate to be in danger of any evil people, as a result of illegal immigrants. But the situation is not like that. Do we need a new system of state to protect us and our natural resources? Yes, we desperately need it.

We urge our president to reconsider the situation in our county and if possible do necessary changes now instead of depending on task forces in order to solve national problems. As a nation, we should often operate on the philosophy of ‘prevention is better than cure’. The president and his assistants must ensure laws are followed to the letter and the people are given the mandate to enforce the laws.

Our president and other public leaders should learn how to run the country from the wise words of the former great president of US Woodrow Wilson: “Every man who takes office in Washington either grows or swells, and when I give a man office I watch him carefully to see whether he is growing or swelling”.

Woodrow Wilson was US President from 1913 to 1921. Most of the problems and challenges that our nation is facing are due to lack of “watching” those who were given public offices to serve us. The discontentment among our people today is the result of poor leadership in almost all levels of administration of the country.

As we commemorate the 14 death anniversary of Mwalimu Nyerere, our leaders should refresh themselves from his striking speeches about the functions of leadership. On one occasion Mwalimu said these words about leaders:

“The contentment of your people is a fundamental matter upon which all discipline and efficiency rests. It is inextricably bound up with good administration and, therefore, good leadership.” Let Operation Kimbunga be an important lesson for us all so that we might not need other ineffective operations in the future.

Mwassa Jingi is a writer based in Dar es Salaam. [email protected]; 0756 440 175.