30 More Ethiopians Arrested in Eastleigh for Being in Country Illegally

Police at the weekend detained 30 more Ethiopians in Eastleigh, Nairobi for being in the country illegally.

They were found in a room at Teachers’ Plaza as they waited to be moved to a different location, police said.

The 20 men and 10 women had difficulties in communicating with police at the time of their arrest, officials said. They were Monday expected in court before the process of deporting them starts.

This is the latest such arrest to happen in a series affecting Ethiopians on transit to various countries.

Last week, police detained 26 women of Ethiopian origin after being found in an unfinished house in a village in Murang’a County.

Read: Puzzle of 26 Ethiopians Arrested in Murang’a for Being in the Country Illegally

Villagers in Kambirwa called police and informed them the group had been confined in the house and were being fed at night.

A team of police led by county commander David Mathiu visited the area and found the women aged between 22 and 32 in the house armed with their passports in the Monday September 4 evening incident.

They told police they were headed for South Africa for greener pastures and that a smuggler who took them there was missing.

Police said they recovered the 26 passports and 16 mobile phones from the women. Police said they are investigating cases of human smuggling and that those detained will be taken to court ahead of planned deportation.

It is not clear how long they had been there.

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Last month, 71 other Ethiopians were arrested in Athi River while waiting to be moved to unknown destination.

Officials said the 38 male adults and 33 male juveniles were arrested after they were found loitering at Magorofani area off Mwananchi Road in Syokimau, Athi River East subcounty.

Dozens of Ethiopians are arrested in the country as they try to use this route to other places like Tanzania, Middle East and South Africa.

Police and immigration officials have decried increased cases of Ethiopian aliens nabbed in the country while on transit.

Officials from the Transnational Organized Crime are conducting joint operations to deal with the issue of human smuggling.

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Tens of Ethiopians are annually arrested in Kenya while on transit and later deported. Most of those arrested come to Kenya to seek jobs or are on transit.

What is puzzling is how the immigrants manage to evade many police roadblocks mounted from the Moyale border where they use to Nairobi.

There are more than 20 roadblocks on the stretch, which raises the seriousness of the security agents taming the practice.