NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 8 — Police have arrested four Kenyans accused of harassing and extorting foreign nationals in Nairobi’s Nyamakima area, in an intensifying crackdown on exploitation of immigrants amid heightened scrutiny of foreign traders.

📻 Breaking It Down

The four suspects are being held at Nairobi Central Police Station as police investigate allegations that they targeted foreign nationals in the busy commercial area.

The arrests come a day after the government apologised to Burundian nationals over reports of harassment and mistreatment linked to confusion surrounding its crackdown on foreign traders operating without the required licences and documentation.

The latest operation signals a tougher security response to individuals allegedly taking advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the government’s policy to extort or intimidate foreign nationals.

📌 What You Need to Know

Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud is expected to address the media on the arrests and the ongoing crackdown.

Police have not yet disclosed the identities of the four suspects or the amount of money they allegedly extorted from their victims.

The latest arrests in Nyamakima come as authorities also move against individuals accused of stoking ethnic hostility against foreign communities.

Earlier on Tuesday, DCI detectives arrested 32-year-old Kevin Odiwuor Otieno, alias Engineer Kevin, over remarks allegedly intended to incite hatred, hostility and violence against Burundian nationals.

The remarks were allegedly made during a Bunge la Mwananchi event at Jacaranda Grounds in Kayole and were later circulated widely on social media.

The suspect is expected to face a hate-speech charge under the National Cohesion and Integration Act and is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya