Six Tanzanian beggars arrested in Kenya as more flock Makueni, Migori
Nairobi. Six Tanzanian beggars were arrested on Friday in Makueni, Some of the suspects were on wheelchairs but when police got to them, they rose to their feet and tried to flee, Reports Citizen TV.
”When we went to arrest them, one of them took off on a motorcycle,” Makueni Police Commander Joseph Ole Napeiyan said.
”On further interrogation, we were able to determine that the six were from a neighboring Tanzania,” he added.
It is alleged that the six are part of a group that was brought to Wote every morning and left in the streets to pose as beggars.
They include one man and five women, all of whom were carrying children.
The police boss said they will remain in custody to assist with investigations.
The incident comes days after Migori MCA Esther Onana urged the government to take action against beggars who she said are a menace in the county.
According to Ms. Onana, the beggars are tainting the reputation of people living with disability in Migori who do not begging on a street.
“We want the government of Kenya to repatriate the beggars from Tanzania urgently,” she said last week.
On her part, Mrs. Julie Minyoso who is the Migori county coordinator for the National council for People Living With Disability, urged locals to report such cases .
In 2017, Citizen TV aired an expose on beggars from Tanzania flooding Kenyan streets.
The report revealed that many of the beggars are lured to Kenya by able-bodied men who are the main beneficiaries.
The Tanzanian beggars however, remain destitute despite years of donations from well-wishers.
