On Tuesday, Tanzanian Speaker of Parliament Job Ndugai ordered his government to promptly issue a statement on the safety of Tanzanians in Kenya after Starehe MP Charles Njagua alias Jaguar vowed to round up all foreign traders operating in Nairobi and march them to the airport for deportation.
“I order the government to issue a statement before the close of business today (Tuesday),” Ndugai proclaimed.
According to The Citizen, the threat made by Jaguar was termed as a xenophobic remark by the speaker, who was asked for guidance over the issue by Mohammed Mchengerwa, a Chama Cha Maendeleo (CCM) politician from Rufiji, Tanzania.
Mchengerwa feared for the safety of his compatriots who live, work and do business in Kenya.
In his response, Ndugai asserted that though he had not viewed the video, he was utterly convinced that the Tanzanian government needed to issue a statement as a matter of urgency.
On Monday, an angry Jaguar spoke at Kamukunji Trading Centre accompanied by Lang'ata MP Nixon Korir and Butere MP Tindi Mwale, following numerous complaints by traders concerning foreigners who have invaded the area, running parallel businesses meant to be operated by Kenyan citizens.
During his address, the MP stated that the release of containers from Embakasi Inland Container Depot as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta would not make much difference if foreigners continued competing with local traders.
The legislator called on the government to deport the foreign traders, giving them an ultimatum of 24 hours after which he would personally remove them from the country.
"Recently, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i claimed that he had deported 6 Chinese businessmen. I would like to inform him that we are not referring to those, but hundreds of foreigners who have come to do business in the country," retorted Jaguar.
"I am giving the government 24 hours to deport them, if not, we will march into their business premises, we shall remove them, we shall beat them and take them to the airport. Matiang'i and the Department of Immigration's job will be to fly them back to their home countries." concluded the MP.
