From: Abdalah Hamis

By MARK MUTAHI

Following the rising levels of insecurity in the country, the government of the United Republic of Tanzania has issued a travel advisory warning the wildebeests intending to migrate from the Serengeti National Park to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. The Tanzanian government warned that it couldn’t assure them of security. The wildebeests migrate seasonally from the Serengeti to the Maasai Mara, in search of pastures. It is feared the directive is likely to disrupt the travel plans for tens of thousands of them.

Security threats

While issuing the travel advisory, the Tanzanian government claimed that Kenya faces considerable security threats, and therefore it was left with no choice but — to do what is within its powers — to protect the lives of all the life within its borders. “While our major concern is the wildebeests, since they comprise the majority of visitors from our country to Kenya, we may revise that in the future to include more species,” James Bukuku the Tanzanian minister for Migration explained.

The travel advisory is likely to strain the relationship between Kenya and Tanzania, especially since both have not only been engaging in some sort of regional supremacy war, but also getting involved in endless trade disputes.

Scavenging

If the retaliatory acts that follows after every trade dispute are anything to go by, it remains to be seen what measures Kenya might take other than perhaps returning the favour. It is suspected that Kenya might hit back by issuing retaliatory travel advisories in which it will —very likely — urge stray dogs that might decide to cross the border to Tanzania for bones and squirrels scavenging for nuts to do so at their own risk!

But Tanzania‘s travel advisory is not alone in the neighbourhood. Other neighbours who have also issued ‘sector-specific‘ travel advisories include Uganda and Ethiopia.

In the case of Uganda, the travel warning is aimed at its citizens who engage in cross border cattle rustling. It advised them against crossing over to the Kenyan side to avoid putting their security and safety at risk. “We urge all our hardworking cattle rustlers to pause and think and stop coveting the cattle across the border however fat they are!” Rogers Mugisha — the Ugandan minister for Public Safety, Order, Teargas and Walking to Work — is reported to have said at a press conference.

Ethiopia, on the other hand, has communicated a travel warning to the Oromo Liberation Front urging them to avoid crossing over to the Kenyan side over security concerns.

Narcotics

The Oromo Liberation Front is known to sporadically stroll into the Kenyan side where they raid Kenyan villages. “Before you decide to take a walk to the Kenyan side to plunder and loot, consider your security first and stay in your country where it is much safer,” Meles Tesfaye, an Ethiopian government official, is reported to have said.

It is also understood that various other African countries have urged their human traffickers to avoid using Kenya as a transit point, owing to the security situation. This now means that police officers who are constantly nabbing foreigners who can neither speak English nor Swahili, can breathe a sigh of relief. This is because the problem of having to find translators is gone for the time being.

Drug traffickers from the west side of the continent have not been spared either. Those who may be planning to travel to Kenya on business have been urged not to worry so much about being nabbed with narcotics, but worry more about their safety and security.