Magufuli's legacy of strained relations with Nairobi

 

Right from the time he was elected in 2015, Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli had a strained diplomatic relationship with Nairobi.

But it is, perhaps, during the last two years that the frosty relationship sunk to a new low.

Despite the on and off diplomatic rows, Tanzania and Kenya are close partners in trade, security, education, agriculture and energy.

In 2018 during the summit of EAC heads of state, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Magufuli acknowledged the gravity of strained ties and agreed to resolve them through respective government agencies.

It did not take a year before the differences emerged again.

This was after Kenya's Starehe MP Charles Njagua made xenophobic statements against Ugandans and Tanzanians doing business in Nairobi.

The legislator had threatened to mobilise people to storm their businesses, sparking a diplomatic row.

The row forced Uhuru to visit Magufuli at his private home in Chato. Uhuru was on a two-day visit on a special invitation of his counterpart.

He inspected a guard of honour mounted by the army.

Speaking afterwards, Uhuru said he had been overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Tanzanian people.

Uhuru even encouraged people from the two countries to intermarry in order to confuse the children about which country they belonged to.

For a moment, it seemed the two heads of state had managed to put aside the differences between the two countries.

But the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March last year and Nairobi and Dodoma were at it again.

A dispute erupted over Covid-19 tests for truck drivers crossing the border.

Kenya blocked Tanzanian truck drivers from crossing into the country over claims that they did not have valid certificates that showed they tested negative for Covid-19. The matter sparked a trade dispute which persisted for weeks.

In September 2020, air travel between the two countries was disrupted due to disagreements over Covid-19 protocols.

The matter was resolved diplomatically but international relations experts said the row was a clear sign of persistent mistrust between the two countries.

Kenya and Tanzania have enjoyed strong ties since gaining independence in the 1960s, but the relationship has been strained on several occasions.

The uneasy ties between Nairobi and Dodoma dates back to when the two countries had just attained independence.

Differences between the two countries resulted in the borders being closed in 1977, spelling doom to the East Africa Community, which was only 10 years old at the time.

EAC was revived in 2000 but the threats of border closures, seizure of goods and allegations of discrimination between have persisted.

Kenya and Tanzania pursue similar foreign policy objectives in many international forums, among them the United Nations, the African Union and the EAC.

The two countries have a nearly balanced trade. Kenya imported goods worth Sh23.3 billion in 2017, while exporting goods worth Sh23.7 billion to Tanzania.

However, the trade between the two countries has been on a downward trend since 2014. The pattern has largely been attributed to political differences.

Kenyans usually read an attitude of suspicion and lukewarm welcome by Tanzanians. Tanzanians on the other hand perceive Kenyans as domineering.

Tanzania has an edge over Kenya in its potential to grow trade. It shares borders with eight countries.

In addition to being part of EAC, the country is a member of the much larger Southern African Development Community trade bloc.   BY THE STAR