Kenya nabs over 100 Ethiopian immigrants

The Kenyan police were holding more than 114 Ethiopian immigrants who have been arrested in the past two days in Nairobi and in Samburu of northwest Kenya, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Police said more than 40 Ethiopian aliens were arrested in Nairobi on Tuesday night in an ongoing security operation to flush out terror suspects across the country.

Nairobi's Starehe Divisional Police Commander, Bernard Nyakwaka said the immigrants were arrested from two separate houses in capital's Kiamaiko and Eastleigh area without traveling documents.

"The aliens had arrived in groups before being booked into the houses. They lived a bad life and we looking for the agent as we prepare charges for the aliens," Nyakwaka said.

In Samburu, 74 Ethiopians were arrested along the Marsabit- Isiolo highway by police officers on Monday after receiving a tip- off from public about the presence of foreigners in their village.

The Ethiopians, who are all believed to be in their 20s, were on their way to Nairobi when police intercepted them. Most of them are believed to be immigrants seeking employment in Nairobi or in South Africa.

Based on previous cases, the Ethiopians are likely to be fined no more than 200 U.S. dollars each or face a three-month jail terms before being deported. In February, more than 100 Ethiopian aliens were arrested from a house in Nairobi residential estate.

The Kenyan authorities have blamed the vastness of the region for the runaway influx of foreigners into Kenya through Moyale on Kenya-Ethiopia borders. But refugee rights organizations and aid agencies have blamed poverty in Africa for the rising cases of human trafficking. They said that the huge supply of labor both skilled and unskilled makes them vulnerable to criminal syndicates. Endi