Several aliens arrested in Narok security operation

BY KIPCHUMBA KEMEI

Narok, Kenya: Police in Narok have launched a massive operation to net aliens.

In Saturday’s operation that extended to areas neighbouring Masai Mara Game Reserve and to towns and trading centres along the Kenya-Tanzania border, tens of aliens of Somali origin were arrested.

Fear gripped the region early in the morning with those targeted accusing police of harassing them yet they possess national identity cards.

“They descended on where we live branding us as terrorists. Even when we produced our IDs, they still insisted that we were terrorists,” said Zulekha Abdi, who asked police to carry the operation with civility and sobriety.

Others locked themselves up in houses and lodgings to escape arrests, forcing armed law enforcement agencies to move from house to house and to all lodgings in the town to track them.

Members of the local provincial administration especially chiefs were mobilised to assist in identifying those who were arrested.

The local County Commander Samuel Mukindia could not give the exact figure of those arrested, saying the swoop will continue until the region was cleared of aliens who he said, were a threat to security.

“We will continue to hunt them down. The operation will be devoid of any form of harassment and we urge the public to assist us in this mission,” he said.

Similar operations were carried out in Kilgoris town, Lolgorian and Nyangusu trading centres.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that some aliens of Somali origin, who have been doing business in Olpusimoru and Olemesutie along the Kenya-Tanzania border, escaped to the neighbouring country to avoid being arrested.