The Kenyan government will spend about US$5 million in 2018 to deport foreigners working in the country illegally, a significant increase in the US$3.6 million spent last year.
The country’s Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on Tuesday told a forum in the capital Nairobi that some immigration officials were colluding with sly foreigners to dish out work permits even to those who didn’t deserve the document.
“The ongoing work permit verification exercise will weed out those who are working illegally, so that they can be removed from the country,” Matiang’i told the forum, organized by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the Ministry of Interior.
Kenya is currently undertaking a permit verification exercise which began on 22 May and will run until 21 June.
The minister said 1,972 permits had been assessed, with 13 being identified as fakes.
Matiang’I issued a 60-day amnesty period during which the expatriates whose documents are not in order should regularize them.
“There will be no penalty or sanctions for those who come forward before the expiry of the 60-day grace period,” he said.
Matiang’I said a laxity in law enforcement had led to an influx of foreigners working in the East African country illegally.
He noted that only those with specialized skills or investors will be issued with work permits.
