Police detain senator in security crackdown

By WILFRED AYAGA and FRED MAKANA

NAIROBI, KENYA: The current security crackdown on illegal immigrants has not spared even the high and mighty.

At least one senator and a close relative of an MP have been caught in the cross hairs of the security operation that has seen security forces detain over 4,000 people at Kasarani Stadium for screening. Hundreds of others have already been repatriated to their countries.

Tana River Senator Ali Abdi Bule was, on Monday, one of the people detained by police.

The senator, travelling with his two children and bodyguard fell into the police dragnet along Juja Road and was detained for over 30 minutes as police verified his documents.

As the senator’s documents were being scanned, Abdi Haji Mohammed, who is the husband to Mandera County Woman Representative Amina Hassan Ahmed was being charged in court for being in illegal possession of over 40 passports.

Mohammed appeared in court to plead to the charges of holding the documents, which the police said were discovered at Islamia House during the operation to flush out illegal immigrants.

The prosecution told Senior Principal Magistrate Lucy Mbugua that Mohammed was arrested after he failed to account for the passports.

Wednesday, Senator Bule called a press conference at Parliament Buildings during which he confirmed the Juja Road incident.  “I urge the Standing Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations to intervene and ensure that no Kenyan is victimised on the basis of their ethnic or religious background.”

The two were later released.