Police officer arrested for aiding illegal immigrants in Turkana

A police officer has been arrested on suspicion of aiding the entry of illegal foreigners into the country through the Turkana County border.

Sources said the foreigners from neighbouring Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan were passing through Kenya en route to South Africa.

He is the third police officer to be arrested in connection with the crime in the last one week.

Last weekend, two police officers were arrested in Lokichar, Turkana South for allegedly aiding the illegal entry of 13 foreigners.

The officer who was arrested on Thursday night in Kibish, Turkana North is suspected of helping 28 foreigners, a majority of them Ethiopians, sneak into Kenya illegally.

He was arrested alongside two Kenyan drivers whose vehicles were transporting the immigrants across the border through Kokuro along the Kenya-Ethiopia border.

According to a police report, an informer spotted two Suspicious vehicles around Kokuro market which stopped briefly before speeding off towards the Ethiopian side of the border through the Merikuka trading centre.

Police said the informer contacted Kokuro Police Station but the call was not responded to.

"The informer then made a decision to mobilize the Local National Police Reservists who blocked the road in an effort to stop the said suspicious motor vehicles," the police report reads.

According to the report at around 2100hrs, the team spotted the lights of the alleged motor vehicle speeding back from the Ethiopian border direction toward Merikuka trading centre where the team blocked it.

The report says that the officer introduced himself to the reservists before escaping on foot.

"The two vehicles a Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop and Toyota Land Cruiser Pickup both white in colour were intercepted and found to be aboard a total of 28 aliens of Ethiopian origin consisting of 14 males and 14 females amongst them 3 young girls," the report said.

Turkana North MP Paul Nabuin accused police officers manning the Kenyan borders for what he termed as exposing the country to security risks.

"The work of the police is to protect Kenyans. It is shocking that foreigners are getting into the country with the help of some police officers. This should not be happening when we have senior police officers positioned in Kibish. We are calling for thorough investigations," Nabuin said.

The legislator called for the transfer of senior officers who he said are using junior officers to carry out their 'dirty tasks' with locals pointing fingers at the Kibish OCPD for sleeping on the job.

Kibish Sub-County Police Commander Charles Wafula said security apparatus involved in human trafficking will be prosecuted.

"The police along the borders are vigilant. The border is vast and is not fenced. There might be cases of aliens gaining entry. I assure Kenyans that any police officer involved in aiding illegal entry of aliens will be arrested and prosecuted," he said.