14 foreigners mainly from Eastern Europe face deportation from Kenya

Kenya is set to deport 14 foreigners mainly from Eastern Europe who are in the country illegally.

Interior CS Fred Matiangi signed the deportation orders in what officials said is linked to the crackdown on foreigners gambling without licences.

“They are in the country illegally with involvement in gambling and other illegal activities,” one official said.

No names were immediately provided but authorities said the deportations are part of the wider crackdown by the government.

In May last year, the CS ordered immediate deportation of all foreigners engaging in the gambling business without the required permits.

Dr. Matiang’i also directed Immigration PS Gordon Kihalangwa to review the working permit of all foreigners who applied to do business in the country.

According to Dr. Matiang’i, the annual turnover in the gambling industry rose from Ksh.2 billion to over Ksh.200 billion in the last five years alone.

This, he stated, is in spite of a Ksh.26 billion debt owed to the government – through the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) – by the gaming and gambling sector.

“My firm instructions is that anyone who applied for a different permit and ended in gambling business, I am ready to sign their deportation papers today. We have to clean up the sector,” said Matiang’i.

“We are not using the guise of revenue to allow a broken sector… Over 90% of players in gaming are foreigners, they repatriate a huge amount of money to their countries,” he added.

CS Matiang’i also stated that the government supports investors doing business in the country as long as they are within the confines of the law.

“We are here to listen to each other but not to condemn each other, we respect your investment but understand that we have a country to protect and not when asked to pay taxes you rush to the court,” he said.

“Advise your employees who are from outside and have permits to do serious businesses, let us respect our country. Where proposals are brought to us in the right way we shall accommodate them.”

The CS further appealed to gambling firms which have met the required regulations to cooperate with taxman without evasion.