Days after police officers rescued 79 foreigners from human traffickers at Mlango Kubwa area within Starehe constituency, at least 22 illegal immigrants were arrested in Shabaa, Samburu West constituency, on Sunday.
The lot, among them a three-month-old baby, is believed to have travelled from Eritrea.
Maralal police boss Abagaro Guyo said members of the public alerted them of a suspicious truck parked in a bush.
“Members of the public who spotted the vehicle parked in a bush at Shabaa alerted Nyumba Kumi members who then alerted the authorities.”
Maralal Nyumba Kumi chairman Solomon Wanyeki said: “I think the driver got lost as he evaded roadblocks along the Isiolo Marsabit highway and ended up in Maralal.
“The immigrants looked dehydrated and hungry,” he said. He thanked the residents for the information.
Recently the government has renewed its energy in the crackdown on illegal immigrants with the latest move being release of a hotline to report illegal immigrants in the country.
In a statement by the Immigration department posted on Twitter released the number 0745-660-151 asking Kenyans to report any illegal immigrant in the country.
Hotline for reporting Illegal Immigrants in the country;
0745-660-151 #AskImmigrationKE
Cc. @JBoinnet @DCI_Kenya @GKihalangwa @FredMatiangi @InteriorKE— Immigration Kenya. (@ImmigrationDept) August 27, 2018
In June, 2018, the government issued a notice to foreigners in Kenya to visit immigration offices to verify and renew their work permits.
In the exercise that was concluded in July 22, the number of work permits that were verified were 26,829, and 2,760 were accounted for but not verified while another 3,434 work permit holders did not show up for the verification.