Lead image for Kenyan arrested in Zanzibar over illegal tour operations.
Three people, including a Kenyan businesswoman, are being detained in Zanzibar for what authorities said is conducting illegal tour and excursion operations.
Esther Mutheu Samuka (a Kenyan national), alongside Mukembo Emmanuel and Karungi Scovia from Uganda, were apprehended on August 18, 2026, by the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) in a joint operation with the Immigration Department.
In a public notice issued by the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, the Kenyan was apprehended alongside two other foreign nationals for engaging in tourism activities reserved for locals.
“The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) 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 notice stated.
“This action was taken in accordance with the Zanzibar Tourism Act 2009, which provides for the regulation and control of tourism activities in Zanzibar.”
The ZCT and Immigration Department conducted the crackdown, targeting individuals running tour and shuttle boat services without proper licenses.
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Zanzibar law restricts such operations to locals under the Tourism Act No. 6 of 2009, which explicitly bars foreign nationals from engaging in these ventures.