The Government has ordered an immediate crackdown on foreigners who are in the country illegally.
This comes after a video of Pakistan troping to an estate in Machakos County went viral, Kenyans questioning their mission in the country.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the exercise will be undertaken by the Department of Immigration and the National Police Service.
“In the last four (4) months, Kenya has witnessed a surge in the number of foreign travellers transiting through our international airports. Majority of these travellers have originated from Pakistan and have valid transit visas to Saudi Arabia that are issued on arrival” said Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho.
He said there was a high threat of the foreigners spreading coronavirus reversing the gains made in the fight against the pandemic.
“The Kenyan Government is however alarmed by the threat of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic posed by the influx of foreign travelers transiting through the country. Subsequently, the Government has ordered an immediate crackdown of foreigners who are in the country illegally,” he said.
Going forward, Kibicho said the government will restrict the number of foreigners transiting through the country to levels that do not pose a risk to Kenya’s national interests.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stopped the visa-free transit arrangement with Pakistan till further notice.
In a letter to the High Commission of Pakistan in Nairobi, the Ministry raised concern that some of the passengers allowed entry into Kenya from Pakistan have been taking advantage of the visa-free agreement to violate Covid-19 quarantine regulations.
“The Government of Kenya regrets that some of these passengers are taking advantage of Kenya’s status with these countries with regard to the COVID-19 quarantine regulations. This threatens to undermine Kenya’s agreements with these countries which are put in place to ensure continuation of business and travel operations between our countries,” reads the letter in part.
The government maintains that any passenger from Pakistan who fails to secure a visa before arriving in Kenya will be turned away and required to leave the country immediately upon arrival.