Police crackdown on foreigners

The ongoing police campaign against foreigners illegally present in Kenya continues, with 46 arrests effected in the capital, Nairobi, over the weekend, a spokesman for the police, Peter Kimanthi, told IRIN on Monday.

The Nairobi-based Sunday Nation newspaper on 17 February quoted "victims of the operation" as complaining of "extortion, theft and terror".

In response to these allegations, Kimanthi told IRIN that in such cases, police always differentiated between illegal immigrants and refugees, who were protected by the Geneva Convention. He said that suspects were always asked to show their identification documents to establish whether they were illegally present in the country or not. "Police have the right to stop, question and detain suspects under Section 26, among others, of the Criminal Procedure Code. Everybody, including Kenyans, is asked for their papers," he said.

Asked if he denied the allegations quoted by the Sunday Nation, Kimanthi said: "I don't think it's true. In the absence of evidence, I wouldn't be too quick to admit that."

Any cases of such unprofessional conduct could be freely reported to the police, he said, and disciplinary measures would be taken. He added that police had been convicted for such offences, but could not confirm how many.

"Any complaint made has been investigated. Anyone who has done it has been taken to court," he said.

Detainees are permitted to have contact with a defence lawyer immediately following their arrest, Kimanthi confirmed. Only in capital offence cases, however, did the Kenyan state cover legal costs.

Kimanthi added that refugees made "wild allegations" about illegal arrests to malign the name of the Kenyan police and the government.