1300 Kenyans languishing in foreign jails

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma has revealed that 1300 Kenyans are serving jail terms in foreign jails across the world.

Speaking during the unveiling of the Kenyan Foreign Policy at the Stanley Hotel in Nairobi, the CS expressed the government’s commitment to secure every citizen whenever they are in the world.

While addressing the increasing cases of abuse of Kenyans in Arab countries, Ms. Juma intimated that intense negotiations are underway with Saudi Arabia on protecting Kenyans. She also urged Kenyans abroad to report to Kenyan missions in their respective countries.

“We are committed to secure all Kenyans whenever they are in the world and we will continue developing and negotiating frameworks to protect them wherever they are,” said CS Juma.

The CS condemned human trafficking saying that security forces and nations should work together.

“We encourage intelligence sharing within our region. We are committed to stem all these transnational crimes…
We have created a joint border commission to ensure cooperation and tolerance,” she added.

On the South Sudan and Somalia question, Ms. Juma noted that while humanitarian tragedy remains a matter of deep concern, Kenya remains focused on maintaining peace in South Sudan.

“Security and stability of Somalia is among the things we will continue looking at. We are optimistic the people of Somalia will chart their own paths and destiny…” she added.

On Trade, the CS indicated the country was working to grow Inter-Africa trade.

“We cannot grow trade without movement of people. We want our goods to be able to move in all African countries…
Our growth is tied to the stability of our region,” she said.