Tangled in lies: Cases lift lid on Kenya's human trafficking rings

Police in Kitengela, Kajiado county, yesterday arrested yet another bunch of Sixty Four aliens of Ethiopian origin suspected to be on transit to South Africa. The aliens were arrested at Muigai estate near Kitengela town after a tip-off. The arrest brings to 96 the number of aliens arrested in the area in one weeks time creating panic in the manner the human trafficking syndicate is increasing.[Standard]

KKebebush Wondimu, an Ethiopian national, dreamed of reuniting with her parents abroad. To make this happen, she paid a hefty Sh700,000 to be smuggled through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on May 4, 2022.

She would have reached her destination were it not for Malawian authorities who intercepted her and other Ethiopians, sending them back to Kenya.

The case shocked many, especially when JKIA Magistrate Njeri Thuku hinted that the airport’s officials might have been complicit, possibly even providing tacit approval for the illegal operation.

She noted that investigators had failed to examine crucial evidence, such as the phones of those involved. This oversight could have revealed further details and expanded the scope of the case.

Additionally, there were numerous failed attempts to have the case withdrawn, which led Thuku to question whether higher-ups in the trafficking chain were being protected.

“There was no exploitation of the phones or data records. Why is this? Was there selective investigation? Were those higher up the food chain being protected?” she wondered aloud.

Ultimately, Peter Odera and Aphonse Maghanga, both employees of Kenya Airways, along with Peter Mosiria, a worker at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), were convicted of human trafficking.

Pauline Nyambura, an immigration officer, was acquitted of the charges. They were accused of facilitating the illegal passage of three Ethiopian nationals through JKIA, bound for South Africa.

64 Ethiopian Nationals on transit to South Africa arrested in Kitengela on July 25, 2024. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

However, the trafficked individuals were stopped in Lilongwe, Malawi, and returned to Kenya after a whistleblower alerted a Kenya Airways investigator, prompting the airline’s management to intervene.

Wondimu, one of the victims, testified that she had been a victim of human trafficking. She explained that she had paid Sh1 million to three brokers—an Eritrean and two Ethiopians—to reach South Africa. After arriving in Kenya on March 2, 2022, one of the brokers received her.

She remained in Kenya for two months before heading to JKIA to prepare for the flight to Lilongwe. She told the magistrate that she had no issues with immigration officers in Kenya and did not understand why she was returned from Malawi.

Hirut Assefa, another Ethiopian victim, recounted her experience. She arrived in Kenya via Moyale and stayed in Nairobi for two weeks before boarding Kenya Airways flight KQ756 to Lilongwe.

She was assisted by a broker named Tade, who paid for her ticket to South Africa. Like Wondimu, Assefa was puzzled when she was returned to Kenya from Malawi.

Tagesse Bubamo, the third victim, shared a similar story. He came to Kenya through Moyale, where brokers received him.

A broker named Mohammed first greeted him in Moyale, and later another broker, Takala, convinced him to travel to South Africa. In Nairobi, a third broker named Tade took him in and arranged for his stay before he boarded the flight to Malawi.

The prosecution’s primary witness, Mumtaz Iqbal, provided crucial testimony.

On May 4, 2022, Iqbal was on duty when Bubamo, Assefa, and Wondimu boarded the KQ756 flight. She revealed that Odera had contacted her the day before, asking if she was comfortable handling the passengers, hinting that their movement might cause her trouble.

Odera told Iqbal that the passengers would pay Sh700,000, with Iqbal to receive Sh300,000, and Maghanga and Odera would get Sh300,000 and Sh100,000, respectively.

Despite Odera not being on duty, he arrived at the airport, allegedly instructing Iqbal to coordinate with Maghanga for the operation.

Maghanga instructed Iqbal to assist with the passengers, and she was given their names via WhatsApp. Iqbal was posted at Gate Seven and instructed to mark their boarding passes as ‘checked.’

The three victims arrived with their passports and photos sent in advance. Maghanga subsequently asked Iqbal to contact Odera to confirm the passengers’ boarding.

Shortly after, Iqbal was informed that the three passengers had been deemed inadmissible and would not be allowed to board. She explained that she had never spoken to Nyambura, the immigration officer, nor had she met Mosiria before the incident.

Other witnesses from the immigration office also stated that they saw nothing unusual with the documentation of the three Ethiopian victims.

Neema Karanja, a Kenya Airways service agent, testified that all passengers had checked in except the three Ethiopians. She assisted Maghanga and Mumtaz in clearing the three passengers, who were later checked in. She noted that it was possible to make alterations to the passenger manifest, which would be a crucial point in the investigation.

Through a probe led by Gerald Limo, an investigation officer at Kenya Airways, the three victims were linked back to Maghanga.

Limo reported that Mumtaz had admitted to the entire plan, providing significant evidence. A police officer later testified that phones belonging to Odera, Mosiria, and the three Ethiopians were not properly examined, which could have provided more evidence.

The police officer also revealed that Nyambura had called Mosiria to bring the three Ethiopians to Mumtaz. The investigation further revealed that the passenger manifest had been altered to show that the victims were Kenyans, which contradicted their actual nationality.

Despite this error being easy to fix, the manifest was not corrected, and the passengers were allowed to board. Odera, who had claimed he was not on duty that day because he was taking his child back to school, denied facilitating the trafficking.

He explained that he only learned about the incident through a WhatsApp group and denied having communicated with Maghanga or giving instructions to Mumtaz. He also denied knowing whether Mosiria was at work that day.

Maghanga admitted to clearing the three Ethiopians, explaining that they were in his clearance queue. He claimed that he had no communication with Odera and was unaware that the victims’ nationality had been altered to Kenyan.

He further stated that he had not checked the victims’ documentation, as they had already checked in before he cleared them.

Nyambura, the immigration officer, was cleared of all charges. She testified that she had not been working that day and had never met the Ethiopians. She also stated that she had no knowledge of the victims’ travel documents and had only seen them in court.

Mosiria, on the other hand, admitted to assisting the three Ethiopians but claimed that he had only done so because of a language barrier. He explained that he had been instructed by his supervisor, a person named Gitau, to assist the passengers.

Magistrate Thuku, however, raised concerns about the investigation. She questioned why the authorities had failed to examine phones belonging to the suspects, asking whether there had been a selective investigation and if higher-level figures were being protected. “Was there a selective investigation? Are there others higher up the food chain who need protection?” she asked.

The magistrate also noted that despite the tickets showing that the three Ethiopians were listed as Kenyans, this error was never corrected.

She pointed out that witnesses had confirmed that the manifest had been altered to show the victims as Kenyans, and this had been done by Maghanga.

In the end, Odera, Maghanga, and Mosiria were found guilty of trafficking the three Ethiopians, while Nyambura was cleared of all charges. They were convicted of conspiracy to commit a felony, but Nyambura was acquitted. The case revealed the extent of human trafficking at JKIA and the role that airport and immigration staff played in facilitating it.

Meanwhile, at the Kahawa Law Court, another case unfolded involving Yibekal Getachew, an Ethiopian national, who was sentenced to 31 years in prison after being found guilty of trafficking 12 Ethiopians.

Getachew had been harbouring the victims in his house in Nairobi’s Ngumo estate, where they were subjected to harsh conditions and exploited.

One of the victims, a 17-year-old boy known as N.M, testified that he was abducted by boda boda riders armed with knives. He was taken to a forest where he met 42 other people and was forced to walk day and night.

Eventually, they boarded a lorry bound for Nairobi, where they were housed by Getachew. The victims were forced to contact their families and ask for money to fund their journey to South Africa. Those who were unable to raise the required funds were threatened with the sale of their kidneys.

N.M and others were held for six months in squalid conditions, fed only once a day and denied basic hygiene. Four victims who could not pay the required Sh1,000 per day were allegedly chained by Getachew. Their escape came when five men broke a window in the house, and neighbours intervened, calling the police and rescuing the victims.

Another 17-year-old victim, identified as D.A, gave a similar account of his abduction and subsequent exploitation. He was abducted the same way as N.M from Moyale and taken to a forest, where he found 39 people.

After being moved to Nairobi, he testified that they were moved in batches of eight, using a salon car to the house where the police rescued them. Another victim, Tafsus Tariku, in his testimony, said that he had gone to buy clothes in Moyale when he was kidnapped and moved via a boda boda to a forest.

Ethiopian nationals on transit to South Africa arrested in Kitengela, Kajiado County on Feb 5, 2025. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

He said that he was among those who broke the window of the house where they were and jumped. He added that Getachew’s wife tried to beat them to return to the house, but neighbours noticed something amiss and came to their rescue.

Marcos Daniel testified that they were travelling on the Ethiopian side using a bus when people looking like a militia stopped them.

The victims said Getachew demanded money from them to facilitate their movement to South Africa.

According to the manager of Ngumo estate where the victims were held, Getachew had paid Sh84,500 before occupying the house and he paid rent on time without fail. A neighbour testified that he was approached by the guard who told him that there were people with handcuffs who seemed to be jail escapees.

He called the police, but the men did not understand any English. Using sign language, they told them that they were hungry.

One of the officers testified that after meeting the five men, they wrote on the ground the number seven, which prompted them to search the house where they found Getachew’s wife who was pregnant and had a young child.

In his defence, Getachew claimed he was merely feeding the victims and had no contract with them. He argued that the victims had been brought to him by a person named Yahnis, and he denied any involvement in the trafficking.

However, the investigation revealed that Getachew had used a fake refugee card, and his fingerprints did not match any registered refugees.

A key piece of evidence was the analysis of Getachew’s phone, which showed that it had been registered using the ID of Malik Obura, a man from Oyugis, Homabay County.

According to Obura’s son, his father had never given his ID to anyone, and there was no connection between him and Getachew.

In the end, Getachew was convicted for his role in the trafficking operation, and his sentence served as a stark reminder of the brutality of human trafficking.

His case, along with the JKIA trial, highlighted the pervasive nature of trafficking in Kenya and the complicity of individuals within the country’s institutions, particularly those involved in transportation and immigration.

These trials have shed light on the need for greater accountability and stronger measures to combat trafficking in the region.