Meeting of EAC Chiefs of Immigration comes to a close in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 24th October, 2021: The EAC Secretariat in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM) held a meeting of Chiefs of Immigration held from 18th - 21st October 2021. The Meeting was chaired by, Mr. Alexander Imbenzi Muteshi, the Director General Immigration Services, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, Republic of Kenya.
Mr. Muteshi called upon Partner States to harmonise immigration processes to among others, promote domestic tourism and provide equal treatment to nationals of the EAC Partner States.
Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of the Productive and Social Sectors, commended the Chiefs of Immigration for their continued efforts in the implementation of the EAC Customs Union and Common Market Protocols at the regional level and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in as far as facilitating free movement of goods, persons, workers and services are concerned. He urged them to provide technical guidance towards the finalization of the draft e- Immigration Policy since its implementation was very crucial in the provision of e-immigration services especially in the era of Covid-19 and other highly infectious diseases.
Dr. Sufi Qasim, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Tanzania, underscored the strengthened partnership between the EAC and IOM protecting and promoting safe, orderly and regular migration in the region, and pledged continuous implementation of joint activities by both organisations.
CPP Mbonimpa Maurice, Commissioner General, Ministry of Home Affairs, Community Development and Public Security, Republic of Burundi, appreciated the progress made by Partner States in the implementation of the commitments and obligations under the EAC Common Market Protocol.
Dr. Anna Peter Makakala, Commissioner General, Immigration services, the United Republic of Tanzania, commended the efforts of Partner States in implementation of initiatives geared towards the operationalisation of regional e-immigration information systems which have facilitated movement of persons, labour and services in the community.
ACP Lynder Nkuranga, Director General, Directorate of Immigration and Emigration, Republic of Rwanda appreciated the strides made by Partner States in the provision of e-immigration services such as the issuance of EA e-passports and the integrated border management systems to facilitate movement of persons.
Maj. Gen. Apollo Kasiita Gowa, Director, Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, the Republic of Uganda. He also emphasized the need for Partner States to offer high quality immigration services, to facilitate movement of persons businesses that are necessary to promote economic growth. He also informed the meeting that the Republic of Uganda waived the visa requirements for the citizens of the Republic of South Sudan.
Lt. Gen. Atem Makol Biar Kuek, Director General, Director of Passports Immigration Department, Ministry of Interior Republic of South Sudan, informed the meeting that the Republic of South Sudan had removed visa requirement to the nationals of other EAC Partner States that enter the Republic of South Sudan.
The meeting considered the revised draft EA e-immigration policy; Status of implementation of Council Directives on waiver of visa requirement for citizens of the other EAC Partner States who enter South Sudan and South Sudan citizens who enter Uganda and Kenya; EAC harmonized application Form for a Special Pass for the citizens of the EAC Partner States; Proposed harmonized classification of fees, forms & procedures for issuance of Entry/Work/Residence permits for citizens of EAC Partner States
The meeting also considered Partner States’ status of implementation of the Summit directive for Partner States to commence issuance of the East African e-Passport, recommend to the Council of Ministers to consider extending the phase out programme of machine-readable passports from September 2021 to November 2022.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 768 552087
Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified