Bartamaha (Nairobi):- Kenyan authorities on Friday arrested at least 64 illegal immigrants from Somalia in a remote coastal island as a large human trafficking syndicate is to be exposed.

The suspects, most of whom are emaciated, had been holed up in a makeshift house at Funzi Island, near coastline, ready for trafficking to South Africa and then later to other countries.

According to Mombasa Provincial Police Officer Leo Nyongesa, the suspects, consisting of men and women of different ages, had been promised lucrative jobs abroad, and had been shipped to Mombasa and then Kwale via illegal routes and means.

They were fished out from their hiding during the early hours on Friday and taken to a local station where they were locked up.

Nyongesa said some had confessed arriving in the town via dhows from Somalia, while others were made to go through various routes from Garisa before finally being crossed over to Kwale then the Island.

“They will be charged in court later in the afternoon with being in the country illegally and not reporting of their stay in the country, we suspect most of them are refugees from Daadab camp while some came from the war-torn Somali,” the police chief said.

The police boss however said they were still following intelligence reports to apprehend the masterminds believed to have been involved in the human trafficking, and behind the trade that has so far seen the largest influx of aliens in the region.

Nyongesa confirmed that the suspects did not have any documents of identity and an interpreter had to be sought to translate what they were trying to communicate.

He said they were surviving on bread and soda since their arrival in batches a few days ago, and most of them looked emaciated though in good health.

“They look weak since they have not been feeding well,” Nyongesa added they will be charged at the Kwale court later in the afternoon.

Last month, police arrested about 20 suspects who were holed up in a remote house in the coastal town of Kwale, and charged with being in the country illegally.

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Source:- Coastweek.

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