Tanzania's President John Pombe Magufuli (left) and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta share a light moment after a joint press conference on October 31, 2016 at State House, Nairobi. The Kenyan government has criticised Tanzania’s decision to burn chicks imported from Kenya. [PHOTO/nation.co.ke]
Kenya has protested to Tanzania over what the former terms “a policy shift that condones hostile actions against Kenyan citizens and their business interests”.
Foreign Affairs Political and Diplomatic Secretary Tom Amollo on Monday criticised Tanzania’s recent decision to burn chicks imported from Kenya just after they auctioned animals from Kenyan herders without involving Nairobi authorities.
Amollo said such actions risked sparking soiled historical relations between the two neighbours.
“Kenya-Tanzania relations are longstanding, rich and complex and should not be jeopardised by a hardening of positions over minor issues that can be easily resolved through candid and open dialogue,” he told a Tanzanian envoy at a meeting in Nairobi.
“There may be need to urgently convene the Kenya-Tanzania Joint Border Commissioners/Administrators Committee Meeting to address emerging cross border issues,” he added.
In October, Tanzania auctioned 1,325 head of cattle from Kenya after they were confiscated for illegal grazing in Tanzania.
“Cross-border grazing happens not only along the border with Tanzania, but also along our borders with Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, yet none of these countries has resorted to such drastic action against the property of citizens of a neighbouring and friendly country,” Mr Amollo said.