Mombasa police have arrested 163 citizens of Pakistan origin during a week-long raid targeting illegal immigrants.
The Pakistanis who were working in export processing zones and as car salespersons were nabbed with fake and expired work permits.
According to Coast regional police commander Noah Mwavinda, the 163 culprits are awaiting deportation.
Reports by Nation indicate that the operation is set to continue for the next 2 months.
In April 2018, Interior CS, Fred Matiang’i, directed that all foreigners working in Kenya had 60 days to renew their work permits or face deportation.
Matiang'i iterated that Kenyans need to be cushioned from foreigners that take on tasks that locals can perform.
Many multinational companies often bring in expatriates to fill in skill gaps, even as many Kenyans continue to grapple with unemployment.
“We have not cleaned up our systems on Immigration. Our official records show there are 34,000 foreigners working in Kenya. You and I know that is not true, the real figure is there are probably over 100,000.
“This Means there are people doing jobs that Kenyans can do, coming through the backdoor,” Matiang’i stated.
In early August, the government conducted a raid on Chinese Television station in Nairobi arresting 13 workers who were later released after the immigration department confirmed their status in the country.
The government is planning to consolidate immigration records into one card for convenience by issuing a card that will contain the ID, drivers license, NHIF and NSSF details.
