Ethiopians fined 50,000 for illegal stay

What you need to know:

  • While taking plea, some appeared weak and could hardly walk. One was carried by his colleagues, who said he was starving.

Prospects for greener pastures in South Africa turned ugly for one hundred Ethiopians yesterday when they were fined Sh50,000 each or face one year in jail.

The foreigners cried in court immediately their interpreter, Mr Dima Abdulkadir, explained to them the judgment by Makadara Senior Principal Magistrate Victor Wakumile.

The magistrate ordered that they be repatriated to Ethiopia after serving their sentence.

WEAK AND HUNGRY

While taking plea, some appeared weak and could hardly walk. One was carried by his colleagues, who said he was starving.

The Ethiopians appeared before the same court on Tuesday but could not take plea due to lack of an interpreter. They had begged for food, through gestures. They were arrested on Monday in Tassia estate, Embakasi, Nairobi, without valid passes or permits authorising them to be in the country.

Three Kenyans Mohamed Abdirahim, Abdi Abubakar and Abdi Wadud Abdallah were released on a Sh300,000 bond or cash bail of Sh80,000 each after they denied harbouring the foreigners.

Their case will be mentioned on March 11.