Police deport six Tanzanian beggars

Authorities in Makueni County have confirmed the deportation of six Tanzanian nationals who have been begging in the streets of Wote town.

This was after a tough operation carried out on Friday evening where a number of street beggars were found on wheelchairs but when police got hold of them, some stood up and tried to take to their heels.

“Through a multi-agency approach, we conducted a raid at Wote town where we arrested six Tanzanian nationals who have been begging. They had been brought by unknown persons,” said Makueni Police Commander Joseph Ole Naipeiyan

He said they had information about a group of people who were operating the business where they drop the beggars at certain points in the town in the wee hours of the morning and collect them at night.

The police commander said that some were not disabled but were out to swindle money from unsuspecting Kenyans. “When we went to arrest these people, one of them stood and took off on a motorcycle,” he said.

After weekend-long questioning, police say that they established the six were brought to Kenya to beg, something that prompted authorities to deport them.

The six include one man and five women.

Media reports indicate that there has been an influx of aliens on Kenyan streets who have been begging with majority having originated from neighboring Tanzania.