This archive report was first published on 14 September 2019.
On Friday, six Tanzanian nationals were arrested in Makueni, Kenya, in a crackdown on begging.
According to Makueni Police Commander Joseph Ole Napeiyan, the suspects were arrested after they attempted to flee when police approached them.
Some of the suspects were on wheelchairs, but they were able to stand and run away when the police arrived.
During further interrogation, the police discovered that the six were part of a group brought to Wote every morning to pose as beggars.
It is alleged that the group was lured to Kenya by able-bodied men who were the main beneficiaries of their begging.
Despite receiving donations from well-wishing Kenyans, the Tanzanian beggars remained destitute.
Earlier this year, Migori MCA Esther Onana called on the government to take action against beggars from Tanzania, who she said were a menace in the county.
Onana argued that the Tanzanian beggars were tainting the reputation of people living with disability in Migori who did not beg on the streets.
She urged the government to repatriate the beggars from Tanzania urgently.
On her part, Mrs. Julie Minyoso, the Migori county coordinator for the National council for People Living With Disability, urged locals to report cases of aliens on the street.
As reported by Citizen TV in 2017, many of the beggars from Tanzania are lured to Kenya by able-bodied men who are the main beneficiaries.
Published on September 14, 2019.
