Police officers in Tongaren Sub-County, Bungoma county are holding 44 Ethiopian national suspected to be in the country illegally.
The 44 were arrested on Saturday, November 1, 2025, after they were found at a house in Miti Mbili village within Soysambu-Mitua ward.
Locals in the area claim the Ethiopians were brought to the house by a military-like vehicle at midnight.
They are being destained at Brigadier Police Station.
Confirming the arrest and detention of the Ethiopian nationals, area police boss Solomon Nginai said they will remain in custody pending confirmation from the Immigration Department they are legally into the country.
Nginai also asked members of the public to continue working closely with the police by providing information on any suspicious individuals within their locality.
Meanwhile, the detailed Ethiopian nationals said they were forced to run away from their country for safety reasons.
They asked the government to allow them to stay in refugee camps until their country is stable.
Ethiopia is experiencing multiple ongoing conflicts and facing a significant risk of renewed large-scale conflict.
Fighting continues in the Amhara region against armed groups, and there are high tensions with Eritrea, which Ethiopia accuses of preparing for war. The country is still recovering from the 2020-2022 civil war in the Tigray region that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
