This archive report was first published on 12 July 2021.
Published on July 12, 2021, police in Kenya have been cracking down on human trafficking rings, with the latest operation resulting in the arrest of 104 Ethiopians found hiding in a house in Ruiru, Kiambu County.
The group, aged between 15 and 40 years, were intercepted by officers from the Special Crimes Prevention Unit led by Kiambu DCIO Dorothy Migarusha. They were found in a three-bedroom house in the Matangini area, near Kwa Wakairu.
According to police, the Ethiopians had paid to be transported through the Moyale border, but the exact amount each victim paid is not clear. The group told police they were seeking jobs in Kenya or were on transit to other countries.
Human trafficking cases have been on the rise in the region, with hundreds of young men and women from Ethiopia finding their way into South Africa through Kenya in search of employment. Last month, police rescued nine male victims of human trafficking from a house in Kasarani, and on March 30, eight Eritreans were rescued while being smuggled through Kenya to Asia.
