Eva Nyambura
Kenya has freed 139 Ethiopians who were detained for unlawfully entering the country.
The Ethiopians were released from six separate jails across Nairobi, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Kenya, Meles Alem has said.
The immigrants had been imprisoned in detention centers in Kiambu, Gigiri, Pangani, Jogoo, Buruburu, and Dandora between one to nine months.
The convicts were sent back home, according to Mr Alem, after they were granted pardons.
Read: 91 Ethiopian Immigrants Escape from Kitengela Home Over Poor Living Conditions
He, on the other hand, made no mention of the circumstances surrounding their (the migrants) release or when they were released or returned home.
“Kenya pardoned 139 Ethiopians who had entered Kenya illegally to travel to South Africa,” the Ambassador shared on his official Facebook page.
“We thank the Kenyan government for its mercy.”
Many of the immigrants are often on a search for a better future in South Africa. Most start their journey to Mzansi through Kenya and then to Tanzania.
Read Also: 10 Ethiopians Found In Kenya Illegally Jailed For 6 Months
Former Tanzanian President Joseph Magufuli ordered the release of 1,789 Ethiopians who had been detained for unlawfully entering the nation last year.
Mr Magufuli pardoned the Ethiopians after meeting with his Ethiopian colleague, Sahle-Work Zewde, who was in Tanzania on an official visit.
Thousands of young Ethiopian women flee to the wealthy Gulf countries in search of better work.
Many of these economic migrants, however, are subjected to a variety of atrocities by their employers, including sexual assault, torture, and even death.
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