Police have rescued 65 Ethiopians from a house in Mihang’o, Nairobi, where they were found in an emaciated and weakened state.
The discovery was made in the early hours of Tuesday after a caretaker reported seeing foreign nationals inside the house along Gesora Road, prompting officers from Mihang’o police station to visit the premises.
It is not clear how long they had been there but locals said they had been seeing the foreigners for almost a week and they shared two rooms.
They told police they were headed to South Africa for jobs. They added that they had been ferried there through the main border near Moyale.
Three Kenyans were also found inside the house and subsequently arrested for questioning over suspected human trafficking.
The three are expected to face further police action as investigators seek to establish how the Ethiopians arrived at the premises, the circumstances under which they were being held and whether an organised trafficking network was involved.
Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) personnel from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kayole processed and documented the scene.
The 65 Ethiopians were escorted to Kayole police station as authorities coordinated further action.
Investigations are ongoing, with police expected to establish the identities of those involved and determine whether the rescued individuals were victims of human trafficking or other forms of exploitation.
Such cases of human smuggling have been on the rise amid efforts to tame the same. The foreigners endure long journey as they seek greener pastures in South Africa, Tanzania and the Middle East.
This is the latest such incident to happen in the country involving Ethiopians and Eritreans.
Police said most of the aliens use the Moyale route as they head to South Africa and the Middle East, oblivious of the dangers ahead.
Officials from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit are conducting joint operations to deal with human smuggling.
