Hundreds of foreigners are at risk of deportation after Kenya announced plans to deport illegal migrants in a plan to end homelessness in the country.
On Wednesday, Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua announced a nationwide census of street families in a plan that will result in those found not to be Kenyan being sent back home.
While speaking during a recruitment event in Roysambu, Mutua stated that the Ministry, through the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund, is developing a plan to rescue the families and repatriate those from other countries.
"We are undertaking a census. We are just waiting for budgetary allocation so that we can have a breakdown not only of (identifying) which ones are Kenyans and those who are not but also where they come from in Kenya," Mutua said.
Adding that, "Also to identify the main cause of ending up in the streets. We want to find out if it is family breakdown, poverty, or are they being used as child labour because we are very concerned about trafficking."
The plan could nab Ugandans, Tanzanians, Congolese, South Sudanese, Ethiopians, and Somalis, who are among the largest migrants to Kenya. While there is available data on how many people are living illegally in Kenya, last year, the security agents arrested 1,455 undocumented migrants, mainly from Ethiopia.
Kenya, which enjoys relative stability, serves as both a destination and transit country for irregular migrants in East Africa, attracting individuals seeking better economic opportunities, safety from conflict, and routes to other destinations.
However, the movement of undocumented individuals poses significant challenges to the nation's security and social systems. This has resulted in a rise in the number of street families, with the 2019 national census identifying over 46,000 people living on the street, including both children and adults.
More recent estimates suggest that the number may be as high as 300,000 nationwide, with approximately 60,000 residing in Nairobi.
"We are reworking the rehabilitation and identification of street families. Some of them we are seeing in our country are foreigners that have come to Kenya because it is an economic giant in the region," he said.
Adding, "We are working on that so that we can get them sent back home to their countries, and also those that are here can be taken back to the countryside where they come from and also taken to school."
The CS announced that the Ministry is partnering with the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs to carry out the census, aiming to facilitate a seamless rehabilitation process for street families.
According to Mutua, the government plans to improve the lives of those living on the streets, with the granting of IDs and rehabilitation being in the works. Those with professional training will have access to internship programs.
