The rising cases of smuggling of people from Ethiopia and Eritrea through Kenya to other parts of the world is worrying security officials.
Some only want to get away from their countries and find work in Kenya.
The deaths of three victims of smuggling in Meru on February 7 in a road accident revealed the lengths to which smugglers go.
Eight other victims were seriously injured and rushed to Kanyakine and St Ann’s hospitals in Meru.
Police said the smugglers were ferrying Ethiopians and Eritreans when their vehicle collided with another one head-on.
The vehicle was heading to Nkubu town. The area is among those flagged as smuggling routes.
The accident was preceded by a shootout between security agencies and smugglers in Loglogo, Marsabit county, along the Marsabit-Isiolo highway.
In January, police said five Ethiopians died while being smuggled as more than 500 others were rescued in separate operations.
This month, at least 150 people have so far been rescued in separate incidents in the country while being smuggled.
Apart from Ethiopians and Eritreans, who are the majority, police say there’s a rising trend of smuggling South Sudanese using the Ugandan border.
Victims said they were running away from violence and poor living conditions.
Officials say the incidents reported are the tip of the iceberg as most of them manage to evade arrest and leave Kenyan borders or hide out for weeks waiting to be smuggled to Tanzania as they head to South Africa or the Middle East.
“It is a big business that we are fighting to contain. Human smuggling and trafficking is an issue of concern,” DCI boss Mohamed Amin said.
In some cases, police say the smugglers hire gunmen and motorcycles to transport their victims.
This is common in parts of Marsabit and Isiolo counties to avoid official routes manned by security agencies.
Officials are concerned because some victims are placed in inhumane and unsafe environments, which has led to some deaths.
Some are confined in crowded, poorly ventilated houses while waiting to be moved to other places, which endangers their health, officials say.
Authorities are trying to curb people smuggling from Ethiopia through Kenya.
In Garbatulla, Isiolo county, police intercepted eight Ethiopians who were being ferried towards Nairobi.
They were on motorcycles escorted by armed men when they were intercepted, police said. Seven others escaped. The smugglers engaged police in a shootout.
In Loglogo, Marsabit county along the Marsabit-Isiolo Highway within Malgis area, police and another group of smugglers engaged in a shootout.
One of the smuggled persons was shot and seriously injured in the abdomen.
This happened at a roadblock manned by a multi-agency security team.
Police said 25 Ethiopians were intercepted at the scene and taken to the local police station while the injured one was taken to hospital.
Police say this is a major part of organised crime perpetrated in the area.
Security chiefs say they have made major strides since January in the war on organised crime of various kinds including drug trafficking, poaching, rape, murder and robbery with violence.
In January last year, five victims of human smuggling died due to inhumane conditions and suffocation during transportation.
Most of the illegal aliens from Ethiopia use the Moyale route and try their luck as they head to South Africa or the Middle East, ignoring the dangers ahead.
Others nowadays use the Turkana and Mandera routes to reach their destinations.
Officials from Transnational Organised Crime are conducting joint operations to tackle human smuggling.
What is puzzling is how the immigrants manage to evade many police roadblocks mounted from the Moyale border, which they use to get to Nairobi as they travel in groups.
More than 20 roadblocks are mounted on the stretch, which raises questions about the dedication of the security agents posted there.
An Ethiopian was sentenced to 31 years in prison for trafficking 12 fellow nationals to Nairobi.
Ethiopians do not need a visa to come to Kenya. They must, however, register on the immigration’s electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) online system before arrival.
