About 13 foreigners have been arrested in government’s ongoing crackdown on expatriates working illegally in Kenya.
Last week, State Department of Immigration under the Interior Ministry issued a 60-day ultimatum to all foreigners working in Kenya to update their status.
Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang’i on Tuesday said so far, 2000 foreigners have been issued with work permits in the ongoing verification exercise that targets all foreign workers in the country.
The CS underscored that the ministry has put in place stringent measures governing the approval of work permits noting government spent a huge sum of money in deportations last year.
“In the last financial year, we spent Sh360 million on deportations. Surely, we can do better than this,” said the CS according to the Standard.
Any foreigner in Kenya seeking a work permit will be required to submit their original work permit, valid official endorsement or passport, a valid alien card, official payment receipt and a Kenya Revenue Authority PIN number.
The Immigration Department has warned that upon the lapse of the 60-day ultimatum on July 13, foreigners found without work permits will be deported.