East African Migration

Eastern Africa region like other regions on the continent has had a long history of population mobility. Population has been influenced by varied reason such as search for waged labour, employment, nomadism and tourism. The region has had mixed migration patterns between and within countries to plantations (cotton and coffee in Uganda), mine (D.R Congo and Uganda) and seasonal movement of pastoral communities in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya (Black et al. 2006). Migration is an important livelihood strategy for many poor household in East Africa as it is in Southern Africa. Migrant from poor rural communities have provided investment capital for the growth of rural economy through rural commodity production, diversification of livelihood and flow

2006). According to Black et al. (2006), this high government level meeting, believed to be the first of its kind in the region deliberated on core migration and forced displacement issues in the region. Some key decisions taken under this conference include the establishment of a Strategic Framework for an Integrated Policy on Migration on the African Continent (Black et al. 2006). Similarly, stakeholders in the region planned to establish and foster the free movement of citizens in the region as part of the region’s larger free trade area. Nevertheless, these planned and formulated policies in the region, aimed at promoting freer movement of people have not been wholly accepted by countries in the region. In some countries and under some cases, individual policies established and implemented by these countries have rather restricted the free movement of citizens of neighbouring countries in the region. Black et al. (2006) notes that, there was resistance to the issue of labour migration in the East African Community due to differences in levels of human resource advancement training among Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The latter countries fear the Kenyans will flood their job markets and render their citizens unemployed

According to Musonda (2006), in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania the migration policies formulated mainly seeks to curtail access of foreigners to employment while promoting employment of nationals. Due to this, non-nationals are saddled with the burden of difficult access to labour market, as well as, change of employment as their re-employment is dependent on permits they possess. Musonda (2006) notes that such policies have the principle aim of protecting the local labour industry from foreign labour. For instance, Tanzania does not have a comprehensive policy on migration; the country has labour and employment laws that combines labour issues and those of employment into one Act (Employment and Labour Relation Act, 2004). This policy together with other fragmented policies indicates the government’s desire to control labour migration. Musonda (2006) further asserts that these migration policies are uncoordinated as lots of the ministries in the country have some aspect of their internal policy dealing with migration. These policies are implemented in Tanzania mainly because the country’s high youth unemployment figures annually (750,000 annually). Similarly, Kenyan migration policies tend to view migration negatively this according to Musonda (2006) is reflected in the country’s policy statement that