49 Ethiopians Arrested in Nairobi En Route to South Africa

At least 49 Ethiopian nationals were nabbed in two estates in Nairobi as they were being smuggled to South Africa.

The first group of 31 was found in a house in Komarocks as they waited for their smuggler to move them.

The group aged between 14 and 45 was found in a maisonette that they shared for the past week.

They were arrested on Thursday evening and taken to the Kayole police station pending arraignment and repatriation to their country.

The second group of 18 Ethiopians was found in a house in John Saga area, Huruma.

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They told police through an interpreter they were headed for South Africa.

Police said they were all aged between 15 and 35 and shared a single room.

The smugglers of the groups were missing and police say they are looking for them.

These are the latest arrests to be made of Ethiopians in a series.

The group told police they had not eaten for days and were on their way to South Africa.

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Tens of Ethiopians are smuggled in a worrying trend, officials say.

According to police, most of the aliens from Ethiopia use the Moyale route and try their luck as they head to South Africa and the Middle East oblivious of the dangers ahead.

Tens of the aliens are usually arrested in various places in the country as they wait to be moved to their next destinations.

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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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 because they travel in groups.

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

As part of efforts to deal with the menace, an Ethiopian national was sentenced to 31 years in prison for trafficking 12 fellow Ethiopian immigrants in Nairobi.

Yibekal Gatachew alias Adinan Mohamed Galano was sentenced by a Kahawa West Law Court on September 7, 2023 following his arrest on November 3, 2021 in Ngumo estate, Nairobi.

Most of those nabbed are usually repatriated to their country, police and immigration officials say.