50 illegal immigrants seized in Kiambu

Illegal immigrants from Ethiopia crowded inside a single room at a house in Ngong Town on June 23, 2010. Another 50 were discovered in Lower Kabete on May 2, 2014. Photo/FILE

Police in Kiambu have arrested 50 illegal immigrants, allegedly from Ethiopia, after they were discovered hiding at a house in Lower Kabete.

Kikuyu OCS Joshua Arende led his officers to a house at Kingeero, Kabete sub-county on Friday, where they discovered the immigrants who did not have legal travel documents. They are aged between 18-36 years.

Police then took them to Kikuyu police station for questioning which was difficult as they could neither communicate in English or Kiswahili.

However, one Jibril Liranse, 19, who spoke little Kiswahili said they were all in transit to South Africa to look for work.

“There is no work in Ethiopia and we are forced to escape our country travel through Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi into South Africa

“We sell cows or ask our relatives abroad to send us money so we can travel. It costs us about USD300. I was sent money by my brothers who are already in South Africa,” he said.

Kabete Chief Benard Gikaru said the raid followed a tip-off from members of the public.

“We alerted the police and were shocked at the big number of aliens hiding there,” he said.