Memoirs of a Sungu Sungu victim Goretti Majjimarefu was bitten by the Sungu Sungu bugs a few years back and she carries a scar to-date on her limbs as testimony of the venom of this rare sting. The Sungu Sungu is a type of militia that operates along the western frontiers of Tanzania with Burundi and Rwanda. The Sungu Sungu are savage, they not only loot, they also cause physical and psychological harm. They are the expression of xenophobic feelings that a large Tanzanian populace has towards Rwandans and Burundians who have resided in Tanzania since many years back. The misery of these settlers was invoked when their status in Tanzania was reviewed in the mid 2000s round, about time when the Sungu Sungu syndrome started. Rwanda had asked authorities in Tanzania to help repatriate these people to Rwanda with promises of resettlement and reintegration in Rwandan society. These Rwandans, some of whom never knew of another ‘home’ other than their TZ confines were very reluctant to heed the calls to ‘return’. Tanzania decided to forcefully expel the settlers by use of the Sungu Sungu bugs; a sort of God using the plagues, against the Egyptians in Genesis episode. This initiative was eagerly implemented by overzealous unemployed youths in many areas where people of Rwandan origin were settled, the uncouth youths were referred to as Sungu Sungu. The expulsion of the former not only gave the latter a chance of work, it was also an opportunity to loot and even-barring official reports- rape their victims of eviction. Beauty carries with it her own opportunities and in some regards risks and because many Rwandan women are reputedly hot, they also attract considerable threats of rape whenever conflict rears its head in the East and Central African region-but don’t let facts get in the way of a good conversation. We can get to this argument another day too- On the fateful day that Majjimarefu was embossed with the scar on her limbs, the Sungu Sungu found her taking care of the calves of the family mid morning when the cows had been taken to the fields by one of her brothers. She says the Sungu Sungu first ordered her to go home and pack everything that the family owned, and leave the country “to your motherland” as one of the foul mouthed ‘scoundrels,” ordered. But this is my motherland Majjamarefu stated, “no” retorted one of the Sungu Sungus and the argument was ended at that moment. The Sungu went about informing everyone in the area with similar profiles as poor Majjimarefu to leave Tanzania. Ironically, this was about the time that the East African Community was undergoing rejuvenation and the hoopla about unity and brotherhood was nearing frenzy. A few years later, Rwanda was to be welcomed to the EAC high table thereby prompting talk that the expulsion of Rwandans from Tanzania was (a) engineered by Rwanda as one of the conditions of joining the EAC, (b) maybe the ones that were sent back were actually suspected criminals that escaped from Rwanda and Burundi after participating in various episodes of ethnic cleansing in the two countries. Maybe it was the politics of the CCM and that Jakaya Kikwete who talked so well about unity and integration in meetings but once back in Tanzania dismissed and de-campaigned the whole EAC as some ploy to fleece TZ wealth. Who knows? But these are not ideas that I was keen on sharing with Majjimarefu as we met in the Kimironko market square, and found ourselves discussing her scar. But she was in such a jovial mood that even the scar seemed not to bother her. Speaking about the economy and the ever increasing prices of foodstuffs in the grocery shops, Majji said that soon all these prices will come down and that even she will start buying bread and butter. “You see the EAC Common Market protocol is COMING SOON. This means well for me and my Koperatife salary. For since I was forced to come to this country every product sells at exorbitant prices. Some grocery shop owners blame the high prices on many and high taxes the government has put in place. Others say transport costs to Rwanda from the manufacturers of products are very high. So a cup of cooking oil which I used to purchase at the equivalent of only Frw 200 in Kahama I find it costs Frw 1250 here.” It is a good day indeed. Majji is analyzing economics and regional integration; she even has a coherent point! For a long while many people in Kigali and Burundi have done their shopping in Kampala. It is said that ‘things’ are cheaper there and business people there are not arrogant as they are in Kigali. Many Kigali lovers have enjoyed their relationships and lives in our hills but when it comes to shopping for weddings, they head up north and spend our contributions to the wedding meetings ‘fattening’ the Ugandan cow. Now the EAC Common Protocol that is due to be signed on July 1, will end most of this capital flight to Musajjaland. The protocol will ensure that in the long run a product in Kigali, Nairobi, Kampala, Dar and Bujumbura will cost a similar price and therefore, enterprises will compete on quality of service and uniqueness of product. Most importantly Majji’s family will also retain the property that the Sungu Sungu forcefully took away, when the family minus its cattle and other property were chased away from Tanzania. She will even be able to invest her koperatife salary in their former neighbourhood without restrictions as capital movement like people are freed. Majji can also find work in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as her academic qualifications that she acquired in Rwanda, will now be compliant and acceptable to the members off the EAC. That said, the protocol is yet to answer pertinent questions that one cannot put to the simple mind of Majji and these include; Kenya hustling countries in the hinterland by imposing a limit on the weight the freighters have to carry while transporting goods through the country to Rwanda. For example, Rwandan business people having to take 6 trips to collect a load that would otherwise be packed on one trailer and transported in one single carriage.There are currently too many weigh bridges and roadblocks between Mombassa and Kigali. Hitherto, the trips have ensured Kenya benefits from fees which the freighters have to pay at various stages in the country therefore fattening their cow too!! And most importantly, Majji says that maybe the Tanzanian will see the wisdom of a strong EAC as isolation during the Ujaama, did not necessarily help them. To be continued donuwagiwabo@gmail.com
