Highway police arrest six Somalis in Gem district

SIX Somali were yesterday arrested by the police at a road block in Yala, Gem district, while on transit to Nairobi. One of them who had a Kenyan work permit and spoke fluent English language is said to have smuggled his colleagues through the Kenya-Uganda boarder. Four of the Somalis were intercepted in a vehicle trying to evade several road blocks mounted on the busy Kisumu-Busia Road, while the other two were arrested in a Nairobi bound bus.

Five of them had no travel documents and could not speak either Kiswahili or English languages. Deputy police boss Lanet Sili said the suspects will be arraigned in court to face charges of being in the country illegally. He said security surveillance has been bolstered along the highways which were being used as conduit and transit points by foreigners. Sili called on the members of the public to give information to the police on "suspicious looking people" or leaving Kenya-Uganda border points.