Twenty three Ethiopian immigrants were arrested on Wednesday after they were found hiding in a house in Kahawa West, Nairobi.
Police rescued them from a mob that wanted to lynch them over the killing of a boda boda rider, said
Kiambu deputy OCPD Robinson Lyambila.
"Members of the public believed they were criminals," he said, adding police had to shoot in the air to disperse the crowd.
The police boss said it is believed the immigrants were on their way to South Africa but that their intentions could not be established immediately as they do not speak English.
Lyambila said they were yet to arrest the owner of the house in Kamae Village. He said it is believed the house is a stopover for immigrants on their way to SA, Europe and the Middle East.
The OCPD said reports indicated the boda boda operator was killed by an insider.
But the slain rider's colleague claimed he received a call from the immigrants at about 2am on Wednesday.
"He left for the house but we later heard he was dead. Maybe the immigrants killed him because he knew something out of the ordinary," he told the Star.
Lyambila said investigations were launched and that the Ethiopians would be taken to Kiambu law courts in the afternoon.
