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Kenya announces crackdown on illegal foreign workers

Saturday April 21 2018
namanga

Travellers check in at the Namanga border control between Kenya and Tanzania. PHOTO | FILE

By BUSINESS DAILY

The Kenyan government has launched an operation to weed out foreigners who are working in the country illegally.

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i Friday said a scrutiny will be conducted in 60 days after which a swoop would be carried out to remove those who do not desire to be in the country.

Dr Matiang’i said the 60 days would allow the verification of the foreigners who are working legally and be given new permits.

Dr Matiang'i said official government record shows that there are 34,000 foreigners working in Kenya but “we know that is not true the real figure is that there are probably over 100,000 which means there are people doing jobs that Kenyans can do".

Electronic permit

“From today going forward we are going to give an electronic work permit card. We will give a window of 60 days to give a card to everyone who is supposed to be working in Kenya genuinely,” said Dr Matiang’i.

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Speaking during a meeting with members of the parliamentary committee on National Security and Administration at Flamingo Hotel in Shanzu, Mombasa, Dr Matiang’i said the operation will affect individual workers as well as their employers.

“We are going to tighten the process of issuance of those permits. The process is now changing radically beginning now so that we clean this thing once and for all.

"The system is going to end up with the digital register that can be searched at any point in time on who he is allowed to work in the country,” he said.

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