Four arrested at JKIA in human trafficking attempt

Police foil a human trafficking and immigration fraud attempt at JKIA, Nairobi, arrest four people, including a Sudanese national; suspects to be arraigned. 

Police have arrested four people in two separate incidents linked to human trafficking and immigration fraud at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi.

In the first case, detectives arrested a suspect identified as Iman Dib, who was travelling to Amsterdam and was found in possession of a forged Bosnia visa, according to the National Police Service (NPS).

His alleged facilitator, Samira Dib, was also arrested.

In the second incident, police arrested Sudanese national Ahmed Eltayeb, who was reportedly travelling to the United Kingdom and was found with a forged UK residence permit. His Kenyan facilitator, Abdullahi Ali, was also arrested.

Police were allowed to hold the four as they continue probing the matter, they will be back in court on Wednesday next week where they are expected to face charges related to human trafficking and immigration fraud.

Cross-border crimes

The arrests come a week after a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime ranked Kenya fourth in Africa for cross-border crimes.

Data from the ENACT Organised Crime Index shows Kenya is a hotspot for human trafficking and smuggling, cybercrime, heroin trafficking and financial crime. Kenya’s criminality score rose to 7.18 in 2025, up from 6.14 in 2019.

The country scored highly in several illicit markets, including human trafficking and smuggling (7.5 out of 10), extortion and protection racketeering (7), arms trafficking (7.5), and trade in counterfeit goods (7).

High scores were also recorded for heroin trade (7.5), cocaine trade (6.0), cannabis trade (6.5), synthetic drugs trade (5.5), cyber-dependent crimes (8.0), and financial crimes (7.5).

 “These illicit markets have a negative effect on nearly all parts of Kenyan society. They are not only highly profitable, but also increasing in their pervasiveness.”

The index also placed Kenya at the top of criminality rankings in East Africa, fourth in Africa out of 54 countries, and 16th globally out of 194 countries. Kenya recorded an average criminality score of 7.02 and a resilience score of 5.33.

The report links heroin trafficking to Kenya’s vulnerability as a transit hub along the Indian Ocean, which criminal organisations exploit.

“Implicitly, Kenya is a significant hub for organised crime, and although regulatory and institutional frameworks to address organised crime exist, there is significant scope for improvement,” the report said.

East Africa ranked highest for overall criminality in Africa, with a score of 5.88, followed by West Africa at 5.44.