A
total of 29 Burundi citizens were arrested at Malaba border after sneaking into
the country illegally.
Investigations
by your favourite Weekly Citizen have established that the aliens comprising of
eight adults and 21 children were intercepted by security officers following a
tip-off from members of the public.
It
was further stated that the aliens who are members of six families had already
boarded a matatu vehicle at Malaba bus stage and were heading to Bungoma town
where they were eneoute to Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana county when they were
apprehended.
The
citizens were taken to Malaba immigration offices at the customs yard where the
eight adults were whisked into the office to be interrogated.
A
young man who could speak fluent Swahili, Apollinaire Niyokuizera, said that
they took off from Burundi because they were being harassed by army officers
for allegedly not supporting the government of the day.
“People
who are not supporting the government of Burundi are being harassed and killed
by military officers, that is why we ran away,”
Niyokuizera told the press.
Weekly
Citizen learnt that the Burundi citizens were sneaked into the country through
unauthorised routes because they feared to be arrested by security officers at
the customs entry point.
He
said that they were ready to die in Kenya rather than going back to Burundi
because of the sufferings which they had undergone before coming to Kenya.
The
young man appealed to the Kenya government to award them refugee status instead
of repatriating them back to Burundi because they will be killed by military
officers.
Removal
of the only roadblock at Malaba border last year has paved way for smuggling of
different items from neighbouring countries at night without any fear by
unscrupulous businessmen.
Reliable
sources said that even small firearms can easily get their way into the country
unlike previous years when there was a roadblock being manned by security
officer’s 24-hours.
“It
is true that a lot of smuggling is taking place at this border at night from
the time when the roadblock was removed last year,” one clearing agent said on
condition of anonymity fearing victimisation.
Weekly
Citizen further established that there is a syndicate of human trafficking at
the Kenya-Uganda common border where some young men are engaged in the trade.
Sources
further revealed that a group of some Kenyans and Ugandans are paid between
Sh1,000 to Sh3,000 to smuggle aliens from Ugandan side of the border to Kenyan
side.
The
syndicate usually takes place during the day and at night without the knowledge
of immigration and security officers manning the border but the matter surfaced
when several aliens from Southern Sudan were arrested in Bungoma while planning
to sneak to Kakuma Refugee Camp when they were returned to immigration offices.
Those
also involved in the syndicate are motorbike operators who are also paid
handsomely to ferry aliens using panya routes to the main Malaba-Bungoma
highway to take matatu vehicles to Bungoma town on their way to Kakuma Refugee
Camp.
No comments:
Post a Comment