55 arrested in Mombasa police swoop
Some of the 55 people arrested Monday night in Majengo area of Mombasa County during a police crackdown on crime and illegal immigrants being scrutinised at the Makupa Police Station. 11 of them did not have any identification documents. PHOTO|KEVIN ODIT
More than 50 people were on Monday night arrested in a fresh police crackdown in Mombasa County in what the officers say is their quest to eliminate criminals and illegal immigrants.
Mombasa police boss Geoffrey Mayek confirmed they had arrested 55 people saying that most of them had no identification.
“Yesterday between 10 and 11 pm we conducted a swoop within Majengo, King’orani and areas of the Central Business District whereby we netted 55 people who did not have any form of identification,” He said.
The suspects spent the night at the Makupa police station where they were sorted out and the police identified 11 of them who did not have any documentation at all. Among them, four Somalis, one Tanzanian and six others who claimed to be Kenyans.
Mr Mayek said that the 11 would be arraigned in court Tuesday morning to face charges in accordance with the law. He said that the crackdown will continue to ensure that all illegal emigrants are netted.
“Any person who doesn’t have identification surely we cannot take chance with him because we do not know their intention. A good and genuine person will always ensure he or she has proper documents to show who they are, what they do, where they stay and why they are in Kenya,” Mr Mayek advised.
He called on all citizens to ensure that they walk with their identification cards or passport to ensure that they do not fall on the wrong side of the law.
On Saturday night, the security agents carried out a similar operation in Changamwe area where 67 people were arrested on Saturday night in a door-to -door crackdown. However, residents have accused police of harassment with some of those affected by the swoop accusing officers, especially in the Changamwe area, of breaking into their homes and guest rooms in the dead of the night.
NAIROBI CRACKDOWN
Meanwhile, the police crackdown to flush out illegal migrants in Nairobi extended to South C estate.
The door to door search was conducted for hours, with police arresting people who did not have valid identification documents.
This is the first time the police crackdown has extended beyond Eastleigh in the city
Several South C residents took to twitter to complain of police harassment and demands for bribes.
Mohamed Osman tweeted: “Police conducting house to house search in Akiba and Mugoya in South C. ID AND Ksh 5,000 are accepted as valid identification documents.”
Additional reporting by NairobiNews
