Matiang’i wants foreigners with fake papers to pay for their deportation
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i is seeking to change the law to force illegal immigrants in the country to pay for their deportation.
Dr Matiang’i revealed on Tuesday that the government is using millions annually to purchase air tickets for deportation of illegal foreigners.
The CS said the amount is likely to increase in a year’s time if all loopholes are not sealed in the ongoing verification of work permits and fresh registration by the Immigration Department.
“This financial year alone we have spent close to Sh360 million buying tickets for people being deported, this is unacceptable for a country like ours with several needs,” said Dr Matiang’i.
OVERSTAY VISITS
“We are working on law amendments that will force people to get their own tickets when faced with deportation, and officials making it easier for foreigners to overstay their visits will be dealt with accordingly” he added.
The CS said he signed three deportation orders on Monday which cost the State about Sh690,000 in air tickets.
“Yesterday I signed three deportation orders of which every ticket cost Sh230,000.”
He wondered how a country of Kenyan size be spending money like that.
“Our projections are that if we don’t do our work well, we will need close to Sh500 million to deport illegal people from our country in the next financial year,” Matiang’i said.
WORK PERMIT
Last week Dr Matiang’i was caught on tape wondering why a foreigner should be given a work permit to be a construction site supervisor.
During a tour at Nyayo House, he found that a foreigner had been given a work permit for a low cadre job that could be done by Kenyans.
“You are a site manager? We gave you a permit to be a site manager? Is it that we do not have site managers in this country,” he posed.