- The group told police they had been promised they would be delivered to South Africa for greener pastures.
- They were moved from the house to different police stations ahead of planned repatriation to their country.
More than 100 Ethiopians have been arrested in a house in Tasia, Nairobi.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ Transnational Organised Crime Unit arrested the 132 Ethiopians.
They were waiting to be smuggled out of the country.
Detectives said they received a tip off that the group was in a house in Kwa Mahindi, before they raided the place.
They broke in one of the residential houses and rescued the foreigners, who included men, women and children.
This is the single largest number of Ethiopians found in a single confinement.
They told the police that they were on their way to South Africa to seek greener pastures.
They were moved from the house to different police stations ahead of planned repatriation to their country. No smuggler was arrested.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said they are looking for the suspected smugglers.
“If they follow the right procedures including registration of their status, then they will not land in such problems,” he said.
On February 20, four police officers were arrested for trafficking 37 Ethiopians.
The Ethiopians were found in a house in Mwihoko, Kiambu county.
Police said the four officers will face the law.
The arrests are a clear indication that police officers are aiding human trafficking.
The sting operation, conducted by TOCU, saw two officers break their ankles in their attempt to escape by jumping from a building.
The two officers were found with Beretta and Ceska pistols, which were confiscated from them.
The other two officers were arrested upon their arrival at the house accompanied by two foreigners.
The officers were armed with Ceska pistols and the foreigners were handcuffed, police said.
The owner of the house was not arrested.
Police say most aliens use the Moyale route on their way to South Africa and the Middle East, oblivious of the dangers.
Some are often arrested in various places in the country as they wait to be moved to their next destinations.
TOCU is conducting joint operations to deal with trafficking of Ethiopians and Eritreans.
South Sudan aliens are also arriving in large numbers to seek jobs in Kenya or neighbouring countries.
What is puzzling is how the immigrants evade police roadblocks on their way to Nairobi.
“It is a big business that we are fighting to contain. Human smuggling and trafficking is an issue of concern,” DCI boss Mohamed Amin said.
In some cases, police say, the smugglers hire gunmen and motorcycles to transport their victims.
This is a common method used to avoid arrests in Marsabit and Isiolo counties.
Some of the victims are put in inhumane environments, which have led to the deaths.