Seventeen foreigners arrested for being in the country unlawfully

Seventeen aliens suspected to be Ethiopians have been arrested at a roadblock on the Moyale –Isiolo highway near Marsabit town for being in the country illegally.
County Police Commander Steve Oloo said the suspects, all males in their youthful stage were seized at the KBC barrier about 6 kilometres from Marsabit Town as the police heightened security in the area.
“The suspects were arrested Saturday at around 1:40 pm aboard a lorry en route to Nairobi after police officers manning the road block became suspicious as the aliens were unable to communicate either in Kiswahili or English,” said Mr. Oloo.
The police are also holding the driver of the Hino lorry registration number KCB 452 K identified as Muda Mamo Muda and a resident of Marsabit County who was transporting them to Nairobi.
The police commander said investigations revealed that the aliens were Ethiopians and did not possess travel documents.
The foreigners were reportedly headed to Nairobi in search of employment but could not speak either in Kiswahili or English.
Further investigations indicated that eye hawked police officers manning the road block had noted the lorry was carrying some cabbages on its way to Moyale earlier in the day, which were still in it when the arrest was made on its way back.
Oloo added that further scrutiny established there was a self-made cabin at the front of the lorry’s body with a false door in which the aliens were hidden.
The suspects and the driver are set to be arraigned in a Marsabit court Monday.
There have been requests by residents of Marsabit for the government to make deliberate effort to address the increased influx of aliens which they attribute to rise in crime especially at the border town of Moyale.
The vehicle is being detained at the Marsabit Central police station.
By Sebastian Miriti