By Betty Luke
An Isiolo court has sentenced two Ethiopian aliens to one year imprisonment for being in the country without valid documents.
The two, Mr Maba Tasdo and Todo Gabre were arrested in September 24, 2021 at Merti Junction along Isiolo-Moyale highway.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Evanson Ngigi, the Ethiopian nationals who had been remanded for five months sought court leniency and asked to be fined.
The court however declined and sentenced the pair to one year in jail after which they will be repatriated back to their country.
The sentence comes at a time when the country continue to experience a surge in number of illegal immigrants who, according to police sources, come to seek for better living conditions while others are on illegal missions including drug trafficking and terrorism related plans.
More than 130 undocumented persons have been arrested since December last year with authorities maintaining that the cases could be higher.
Among the recent cases include seven Ethiopian nationals aged between 20 and 32 who were arrested after the vehicle they were being ferried in overturned in Murang’a killing the driver on spot and injuring the passengers Monday last week.
Police reports indicate that the accident happened after the driver who was speeding lost control of the vehicle landing into a ditch near the county police headquarters.
According to witnesses, a man who appeared to be Kenyan and was armed escaped from the scene before police arrived at the scene.
Early this year, 94 Ethiopian nationals were arrested in an apartment in Kitengela, Machakos county where they claimed to have been held for four months.
According to the suspects, they had been brought into the country in groups of 20 with a promise of securing them jobs in Moyale but were instead held in the apartment.
They decried being subjected to harsh living conditions including lack of food and water and appealed to the Kenyan government to help them get back to their countries.
They were however placed in police custody awaiting charges of being in the country illegally.
In December last year, 31 suspected illegal immigrants were arrested in Egoji, Meru County after a lorry they were traveling in was involved in an accident.
Residents were treated to a rude shock after they found out that the lorry they had thought was ferrying goods had people instead, prompting them to alert the police.
The government in September last year announced a national crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country that was to be undertaken by the Department of Immigration and the National Police Service.
Interior PS Karanja Kibicho said the surge in number of of illegal immigrants in the country had posed a danger in the security of the nation and increased cases of new COVID-19 cases.
The PS added that the government would restrict the number of foreigners getting into the country for business or tourism activities.
