An Egyptian businessman was arrested and arraigned when he found hawking without a permit in the streets of Eldoret town.
The foreigner identified as Mohammed Abdisad appeared in court where he admitted to the charges leveled against him.
When questioned by the judge on the authenticity of the charges, he admitted guilt despite the language barrier.
"It is true...I am sorry, forgive me. I want to go home," he told the judge repeatedly.
The prosecutor told the court that officers from Eldoret police station got a tip-off from a member of the public on the foreigner showcasing his wares at a mall in the town.
The officers thereafter went to the shopping centre and found the foreigner selling household goods including carpets.
The businessman was unable to produce a valid work permit and was taken to the station and his wares confiscated.
Upon pleading guilty, the judge directed that the foreigner be sentenced on Friday, March 26.
A requirement for a foreign national to conduct business in Kenya is a business permit contrary to which they can face legal repercussions including deportation.
In 2018, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i conducted a crackdown on foreign workers whose working permits had expired but were still in the country.
The foreigners were asked to submit their work permits for verification, after which they will be issued with electronic cards.
According to the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011, any person against whom a deportation order has been issued shall be removed from Kenya within a period of ninety days from the day such final removal order is made or after appeal and further detention shall be extended by a court of law for not more than thirty days.
The immigration department is mandated to establish a holding facility at ports of entry and exit and any other immigration operation areas which shall be used for holding persons ordered to be removed to their countries under section 26A of the Penal Code (Cap. 63), persons whose citizenship has not been established, deportees in transit, and persons denied entry awaiting return and who are not under carrier liability.
