1,300 Kenyans are serving jail terms in foreign detention facilities, the country’s foreign affairs minister Monica Juma announced on Thursday.
Juma made the remarks in the capital Nairobi during the unveiling of the Kenyan Foreign Policy, adding that the government would work to secure Kenyan citizens wherever they are across the world.
“We are committed to secure all Kenyans whenever they are in the world and we will continue developing and negotiating frameworks to protect them wherever they are,” she said.
Of those jailed in foreign countries, 141 are detained in neighbouring countries; 47 in Uganda, 79 in Tanzania and 15 in Ethiopia
The minister also commented on the issue of Kenyan domestic workers being assaulted in the Arab world, saying that the government was in talks with those countries to ensure security for the Kenyans.
She also announced that Kenya was fronting for intelligence sharing between countries in the region to curb human trafficking.
“We encourage intelligence sharing within our region. We are committed to stem all these transnational crimes…We have created a joint border commission to ensure cooperation and tolerance,” she said.
Juma also took note of the need to find a solution for the Somalia and South Sudan conflicts, saying that peace in those countries was vital, especially for trade.
“Security and stability of Somalia is among the things we will continue looking at. We are optimistic the people of Somalia will chart their own paths and destiny.” she said.
“We cannot grow trade without movement of people. We want our goods to be able to move in all African countries.”
