Chinese visitors fined for working without permits

Mr Jihong Ding and Ms Wang Jinju appear in a Nakuru court on July 05, 2017 separately charged with being in the country illegally and operating without a valid work permit. They were each released on a Sh1 million bond with a Kenyan surety. Photo/Suleiman Mbatiah/Standard

Two Chinese visitors arrested in Nakuru have been given 60 days to regularise their stay in the country. Wang Jinju and Jihong Ding were also fined Sh50,000 by a Nakuru court after they pleaded guilty to engaging in employment without work permits.

Appearing before Chief Magistrate Josephat Kalo on Wednesday, the court was told that  Jinju and her counterpart were arrested by immigration officers who were on a routine patrol at a motor cycle selling plant in Nakuru.

According to Prosecutor Justin Maranga, the two were asked to identify themselves but they only produced their passports and had no work permits.

The court was told that Jinju  arrived in the country on March 31, 2017 while Ding arrived on June13, 2017 and were both issued with visitors’ visa.

The visa, the prosecutor argued, does not allow one to engage in any form of business.

“The two were not in a position to produce work permits after they were found working in the company. They, however, produced their passports, and the same doesn’t allow them to engage in employment. They were then arrested and charged with the offence,” said Maranga.

In mitigation the two apologised and asked the court to be lenient before handing out the sentence, saying they were not aware it was unlawful to work without a permit. They told the court that they had applied for work permits and were waiting for their applications to be processed before the permits are issued.