An Italian national who arrived in Kenyan on October 29, 2020 Mr Alberto Marchesi has lodged a case challenging his deportation by Kenyan authorities.
Mr Marchesi has filed a suit against the Kenyan Immigration Department for ‘illegally deporting him.
The Italian who is the President of Agriculture in Italy had just arrived at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa to visit his ailing uncle, Mr Italo Ceccagnoti.
With him was medicine for his uncle’s stroke which he suffered in 2017 and has since been ailing.
However, it is at the airport that he was arrested and held for interrogation for a short while before he was hounded into another Italy-bound plane and off he was deported.
He argues that his uncle was forced to undergo surgery since he did not get medicine in time.
“Mr Ceccagnoti suffered a stroke and was paralysed, thus I started coming to Kenya on a monthly basis to bring him medicine and take care of him,” said the Italian according to Daily Nation.
Mr Ceccagnoti is a common face at the Kenyan coast with property in Bamburi area of Mombasa. He has lived in Kenya for the last 25 years and his nephew, Mr Marchesi is his sole beneficiary of his estate in Mombasa going by details contained in his will.
Mr Marchesi hypothesizes that some individuals are aware of the contents of the will and they are behind his arrest and consequent deportation.
In his suit that has been certified as urgent by the court through the Commission for Human Rights and Justice, Mr Marchesi he has sued among other Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as well as Tourism CS Najib Balala. Immigration Director-General Alexander Muteshi has also been sued.
He says he was held for two hours in a police cell and his travel documents confiscated. He was then taken to task to explain why he visits Kenya every month to which he said that he visits his ailing uncle.
In an affidavit, he argues that he has visited Kenya since 1995 and has never been subjected to such a horrible ordeal by the Kenyan authorities.
“During my many visits and stay in the country, I have not engaged in any unlawful and illegal business. I am a law-abiding visitor and I have not contravened any laws and regulations,” he stated.
However, the Immigration Department’s investigation and prosecution section headed by Kipkoech Sang said that Mr Marchesi had been on the “watch list” based on information the department has received from credible intelligence reports.
“Mr Marchesi was flagged for being an undesirable immigrant. Following his failure to answer questions on his activities in the country, he was denied entry into the country,” said Mr Sang.
