Police in Ruai, Nairobi, rescued 17 Ethiopian nationals, most of them believed to be minors, during a raid on a residential house in the township.
About 20 others managed to escape the scene.
According to police, officers from the Kenya Police Service attached to Ruai Sub-County acted on a tip-off from members of the public and raided the house located near New Ruai Family Hospital.
During the operation, the officers found 17 Ethiopian aliens with an average age of about 15 years inside the house and rescued them. However, about 20 other occupants managed to escape during the raid.
The rescued minors were escorted to Ruai Police Station, where they are currently being detained as investigations continue.
Police are pursuing the suspects who fled the scene as authorities probe a possible human trafficking and smuggling operation.
Last week, police rescued at least 70 foreign nationals during a similar operation targeting suspected human trafficking in Ruai, Nairobi.
The main suspect in the smuggling ring managed to escape, police said.
Police said the raid was conducted Wednesday by detectives from the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) based at DCI Headquarters, acting on a tip-off.
The officers stormed a residential house in Ruai Block 10 area, where they discovered dozens of foreign nationals locked inside under unclear circumstances.
They were later joined by officers from Ruai Police Station during the operation.
Nairobi region police commander George Seda said 70 individuals were rescued from the house.
“Of these, 66 are Ethiopian nationals while four are Eritrean nationals,” he said.
One suspect, a Kenyan, was arrested at the scene in connection with the incident, Seda added.
The rescued individuals were taken into custody pending processing and further investigations.
They are likely to be repatriated to their countries.
Seda said they are working to establish the circumstances under which they were being held and whether the case is linked to a wider human trafficking network.
The incident comes amid police operations on suspected smuggling incidents.
This is the latest such incident to happen in the country.
The group said they were running from problems in their country and headed to South Africa, seeking greener pastures.
Police said most of the aliens use the Moyale route as they head to South Africa and the Middle East, oblivious of the dangers ahead.
Tens of aliens are often arrested in various places in the country as they wait to be moved to their next destinations.
Police and immigration officials have deplored increased cases of Ethiopian aliens nabbed in the country while in transit.
Officials from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit are conducting joint operations to deal with human smuggling.
Most of those arrested come to Kenya to seek jobs or are in transit.
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