Eritrean man jailed in Isiolo now seeks asylum in Kenya

A 25-year-old Eritrean prisoner wants the Kenyan government to grant him asylum after he finishes his sentence at the Isiolo GK Prison.

The prisoner, who is a teacher by profession, fears being deported after the end of his jail term in next two weeks.

He was arrested and charged for being in the country illegally alongside 29 Ethiopians currently serving a three-month jail term in the same prison.

The inmate who preferred anonymity for fear of “severe punishment” from his government said he fled Eritrea to Ethiopia in 2014 after being forced to be a teacher by the regime yet he preferred to be a psychologist. He said he was also running away from “harsh governance.”

He stayed in an Ethiopian refugee camp for eight months as his immigration papers were being handled by United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR).

During an interview, the prisoner said he feared for his life while in the camp, even as a refugee, when Ethiopia and Eritrea clashed over border issues.

He said he will be prosecuted upon deportation since he lost his refugee papers in Moyale when he was duped by a human trafficker.

FEARS PROSECUTION IN ERITREA

As his colleagues count the remaining days of their life in prison, the inmate seems not to be happy saying he was not ready to go back to Eritrea.

“I wish to stay in a refugee camp here in Kenya. I don’t want to be tortured, prosecuted and thereafter forced to be a soldier in my country,” he said.

The prisoner, who claims to have graduated from Mai Nethi College in Ethiopia with diploma in Science Education, wishes to stay in Kenya to continue with his education and pursue his career in psychology.

Upon receiving his immigration documents in the camp, the prisoner left and lived with his relative in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia before planning his trip to Kenya.

He said Kenya was peaceful and he needed somewhere to start his life again after running away from his home country.

The inmate who left his parents in his home country also claims her two siblings fled to Norway and Holland.

The Isiolo prison boss Hassan Ibrahim said the inmate could not be treated as a refugee when he was taken to court since he did not have supporting documents.

“We treat him as an alien because he was arrested for being in the country illegally and his bag which he claims contains his documents is untraceable,” added Mr Ibrahim.

The prison boss also said UNHCR officials visited the inmate once but unfortunately they could not help since he had lost his documents.

Mr Ibrahim said the prisoner will be handed over to the immigration department at the end of his jail term for deportation.