The 16-year-old stowaway who ran away from Kenya to The Netherlands has applied for asylum and also told Dutch police that he does not want to return to Kenya.
Dutch Royal Marechaussee law enforcers quizzed the teenager who survived a 14-hour flight after reportedly sneaking into the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Friday, February 5. He was detained and rushed to hospital by the police as he waits for further interrogation where he will explain why he is seeking asylum.
The teenager said that he had gone through a difficult ordeal to find his way in Europe and would not want to return to Kenya as he had sacrificed his life and comfort while hiding in a plane. The boy survived freezing temperature while clinging to the wheel of a cargo plane and risked falling from over 19,000 feet.
Health officials said that he was lucky as stowaways usually struggle to maintain consciousness as blood oxygen level drops. The compartment doors re-open a few thousand feet above the ground for landing, which can cause also push them to fall.
Police want him to settle first at an asylum in Ter Apel and have given him six days to prepare for his statement before they decide whether to grant his request or deport him back to Kenya.
He will also be subjected to scrutiny and presentation at an immigration centre where he will speak with officials from the Immigrate en Naturalisatiedienst (IND). Detectives said that the boy claims to be Kenyan, but lacks relevant documents to ascertain his allegations.
"We cannot yet prove that he is Kenyan as he does not have any document that shows he comes from the Eastern African nation.
"As the standard procedures dictate, he has to rest for six days before we commence with our investigations," IND spokesperson told a local daily, adding that the boy declined to disclose why he was running away from Kenya.
IND officials added that they would provide him legal assistance when he argues his case. A lawyer would guide him on how to present his issue and adhere to the law when he appears before the immigration department and police.
Officials believe that he was destined for the UK but happened to find himself in the Netherlands. Between January 2004 and March 2015, six stowaways were found on aircraft at UK airports, according to the most recent figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Another stowaway was found on board a UK airline at an overseas airport.
Figures from the US Federal Aviation Administration suggested that 96 people hid under planes during flights around the world between 1947 and 2012, with incidents occurring on 85 flights.
