Thika MP Patrick Wanaina is accusing immigration officials according to a statement he has written to supposedly expose the airport authorities.
The MP on Sunday morning caused a stir at JKIA, when he confronted airport officials demanding to know why a group of foreigners who were supposed to be deported had been allowed to freely roam around the airport without any surveillance on them.
The MP took to Facebook to 'expose' immigration officials who have since responded to the scene with an explanation.
The MP wrote:
Dear Kenyans,
We are having a serious problem in this country. I was arriving from Dubai this Sunday morning, 21st Oct, 2018 aboard KQ via terminal 1A Kenya Airways arrival. While queuing at passport control, I see 3 young guys of Somali origin arguing with an immigration officer. They were persuading her to stamp their passports but what was worrying is that they were coming from the "arrived" side of the counter; Meaning, they were technically in Kenya without entry stamp. In fact one of the young men confessed they were seventeen of them, roaming the airport freely.
I immediately identified my self as a member of parliament and wanted to know what is going on. I was taken to the officer on duty, Mr. Bernard Machorwa. He explained these people had a problem with documentation and they are destined for deportation. Then I asked why they are roaming the airport freely if they are due for deportation, and where is the whereabouts of the other 14. My expectation is that they would have been held in a cell or other confined place as they await deportation.
17 criminal "deportees" roaming our airport, dangerously exposing our country and visitors alike.
I have alerted Security Parliamentary Committee Chairman who has in turn alerted the PS, security docket. I am just hoping against hope that something is being done. This "Sick Jokes" MUST END NOW!
Gordon Kihalangwa, Principal Secretary, State Department for Immigration has denied such allegations in a strongly worded statement saying:
Yesterday, 20th October 2018, an aircraft, XU 528, landed at JKIA at 1300 HRS from Mogadishu with a number of passengers. Seventeen of them were meant to transit at JKIA to Entebbe, Uganda. In line with the normal security procedures, transiting passengers are required to give the reason(s) for your transiting, where they are going to stay, and produce their return ticket to their country.
Whenever there exist doubts, JKIA has a multi-agency team that handles such cases. Apparently, this is the normal routine at all times. As for the seventeen passengers, they neither had return tickets back to Mogadishu nor convincing reasons to visit Uganda. Subsequently, their transit was declined and were to be flown back on the same aircraft. Their documents were secured until the next day when they were to board. The aircraft that brought them was indemfied and informed accordingly.
Their processing for departure this morning coincided with the arrival of Hon. Wainaina, who was just landing from Dubai. It happened that one of the Somali nationals was arguing loudly, and Hon. Wainaina approached one of the immigration officers who explained to him the situation of the 17 passengers. However, he didn’t seem satisfied and demanded to go to T1 upon which he was facilitated accordingly. By the time he was getting to Terminal 1, the 17 Somali nationals had left on the scheduled take-off time using the same aircraft, XU 527, back to Mogadishu.
There is no laxity at JKIA and neither was there any deportations as alleged. The 17 Somali nationals in question returned to Mogadishu as decided by the multi-agency team at the facility. The security agencies at JKIA remain alert on human trafficking and other criminal issues.