The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) confirmed the arrests in a public notice naming the other suspects as Mukembo Emmanuel and Karungi Scovia. The three were apprehended on August 18 in a joint operation between the ZCT and the Immigration Department.
“The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism wishes to inform the general public and all visitors to Zanzibar that it has apprehended three foreign nationals who were found conducting tour and excursion operations in Zanzibar contrary to the laws and regulations governing tourism activities in Zanzibar,” the commission said.
Under Section 19(b) of Zanzibar’s Tourism Act No. 6 of 2009, tour operation and shuttle boat businesses are reserved exclusively for Zanzibaris, regardless of whether a foreign national has established a physical presence on the island.
Authorities did not disclose the specific activities the trio were conducting or provide further details on the circumstances of the arrest.
The commission said it “will continue to take appropriate legal and administrative action against anyone found conducting tourism business” in violation of the law, and it has not indicated whether the suspects will face formal charges.
The arrests form part of a broader enforcement campaign targeting foreign nationals in Zanzibar’s tourism sector. In January, the ZCT warned operators that investigations had uncovered cases of local citizens being used as proxies to front tourism businesses actually controlled by foreigners who did not meet local ownership requirements.
Operators were given until January 20 to regularise their arrangements or face a “special inspection and law enforcement operation.”
Foreign investment in Zanzibar’s tourism industry is governed separately under the Investment Act of 2023, which sets a minimum capital threshold of USD 2.5 million for foreign hotel and real estate investors, compared with just USD 100,000 for locals.
Industry voices have largely backed the crackdown; Stefano Marra, founder of Heart of Africa Expeditions, said operations conducted in regulatory “grey zones” extract value from destinations without contributing proportionately to local systems.
The ZCT urged tourists to book only through licensed and legally recognised operators, saying the measures are meant to promote lawful, safe and quality tourism services.
For Kenyans and other East Africans doing business on the island, the arrests serve as a stark warning that operating in sectors legally reserved for locals carries real legal risk, regardless of investment size.
