78 Ethiopians sentenced for being in Kenya illegally

Dozens of Ethiopians have been found guilty of being in the country illegally and sentenced to three months in prison or pay a fine of Sh50,000 each.

The 78 migrants will also be repatriated after serving their terms. Two other suspects were not able to take their plea as they were said to be sick.

The aliens pleaded guilty with the aid of an interpreter and begged for forgiveness before Maua magistrate Oscar Wanyaga.

They said they had been on the road for 15 days and were heading to South Africa in search of jobs.

Sergeant William Kipchirchir of the Anti Stock Theft Unit in Sololo in Marsabit County was also arraigned before a Maua court.

He was charged with transporting the 80 Ethiopians, all men, in a General Service Unit lorry to an unknown destination. He was remanded until August 31, when he will appear in court.

His accomplice, the driver of the lorry, was said to have escaped after the vehicle was flagged down by police officers.

SECRET ROUTES

The lorry was seized in Kangeta, Meru County.

The migrants were said to have been traveling through secret routes from Ethiopia to Moyale and Meru before police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted them.

A Kenyan said to have been acting as the migrants' guide, showing them which route the vehicle should use to avoid arrest, was also arrested.

There has been an influx of Ethiopians into Kenya in recent years, the majority of them heading to South Africa to seek greener pastures.

The migrants' preferred passage used to be the Moyale-Marsabit-Isiolo route, but due to frequent arrests, they are are said to have changed tact.