Foreign prisoners ‘refuse’ Kenyan food

80 Ethiopian Nationals who are serving a 1 year jail term in Isiolo GK Prison for being in the country illegally have gone on a hunger strike.

The prisoners allege that a group of 65 other Ethiopians who were released earlier and expatriated back to Ethiopia  communicated to them that their families back home are suffering and dying.

One of the prisoners who spoke on behalf of the group says that they will not eat as long as the fate of their families back home remains unknown to them especially since they do not know where they are after they were arrested near Isiolo.

The officer in charge of Isiolo GK Prison, Ibrahim Hassan confirmed the incident saying that they have refused to eat in order to compel the Kenyan Government to expatriate them to their home country.

Hassan added that the prisoners are struggling to air their grievances clearly as most of them do speak in either Swahili or English.

He, however, urged the National Government to expatriate all foreigners arrested in Kenya as they are costly to feed and maintain especially considering the congestion of prisons in the country.

The Ethiopians were allegedly duped by conmen to pay Ksh 400,000 so that they may be taken to South Africa for greener pastures.  Their jail term is to end on April next year.