A Nyeri court has authorized the deportation of 39 Ethiopians arrested in Kiganjo and Karatina, citing illegal travel documents and border security lapses. The decision followed a police request to overturn an earlier detention order for the migrants.
Nyeri County Police Commander Ali Nuno appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Philip Mutua to argue that the government had opted to repatriate the individuals rather than hold them for investigation. He claimed a systemic failure at the Moyale border point allowed the Ethiopians to enter Kenya with visas issued under questionable circumstances.
"We are investigating how the border point failure occurred and enabled these individuals to enter the country," Nuno stated. "The immigrants had visas, but they were processed in a dubious manner. We have decided to repatriate them while conducting border investigations."
Police initially arrested 41 Ethiopians and one American, but three were later found to have legal travel documents. The American was identified as a dual citizen, while two Ethiopians had valid reasons for their presence—business activities and medical treatment. Nuno alleged most migrants arrived with passports dated 2018-2019, raising suspicions of organized transit operations.
The case highlights ongoing diplomatic tensions over human trafficking routes involving Ethiopian nationals using Kenya as a transit hub, according to Nuno.
