NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Seventeen Somali nationals were on Sunday refused entry to Kenya due to “security considerations”, authorities said.
On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, the Somalis headed the immigration offices for clearance but were refused entry and were booked for deportation back to Somalia.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for immigration and registration of persons, Gordon Kihalangwa said thee passengers landed from Mogadishu but they could not be cleared because of security concerns and anomalies with their documents.
“The government through the immigration department has denied entry into Kenya of 17 Somali nationals, due to security considerations,” Mr. Kihalangwa said.
Mr. Kihalangwa said the 17 were to be repatriated, not deported. He added that the airline that brought the group was indemnified to return them to Mogadishu.
Media in Kenya quoting a lawmaker reported that some of the passengers who were scheduled to be sent back to Somalis after landing at Jono Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi may have been released.
According to Kenyan MP, Patrick Wainaina who spoke to Daily Nation, the 17 were trying to persuade the officers at the airport to allow them to proceed though he did not clarify whether they were bribing the officers.
Mr. Wainaina hinted that some were already allowed to enter the country saying when he demanded to be shown the plane to be used by the group, he was given a passenger’s manifest but the 17 were not included.
“It is not possible that they could have moved from terminal 1A to T2 within 10 minutes and boarded the plane. Deportees are usually confined and do not have room to persuade officers to allow them into the country,” the MP said.
He said he raised the matter with Kenya’s National Assembly Security Committee.
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