8 deported Pakistani dancers petition for payment by Interior CS Fred Matiang'i and Sports CS Rashid Echesa

Deported Pakistani dancers take Matiangi and Echesa to court

Mark Mwithaga

January 8, 2019 1:41 PM

Legal request made by the Pakistani nationals

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i and Sports CS Rashid Echesa

Eight Pakistani women who were last week deported from Kenya on Tuesday filed a petition in court against Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and Sports CS Rahid Echesa.

Through their lawyers, the Pakistani nationals requested the court to order the two leaders to pay them Sh9.1 million for what they termed as an illegal deportation.

Interior CS Fred Matiang’i adressing the public Pulse Live Kenya

The dancers were on Friday deported from the country after it was claimed they violated the terms of their temporary passes that allowed them into Kenya, allegedly to promote transnational culture.

Reports, however suggested that the women who were arrested at a social club in Parklands, were suspected to have been victims of human trafficking.

Interior spokesperson Wangui Muchiri stated that investigations into the matter had already begun.

"Investigations are still going on to establish the circumstances in which the women came into Kenya ostensibly to promote transnational culture but ended up in suspicious places,” remarked Muchiri.

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An article in a local daily had claimed that Echesa was involved in a human trafficking ring.

The sports CS however rubbished the claims and termed them offensive and potentially defamatory.

Sports CS Rashid Echesa ece-auto-gen

Director of Administration at the Sports, Culture and Heritage ministry, Charles Wambia issued a statement and pointed out that the CS only offered supports in regards to participation of a cultural festival.

“The only role played by the Ministry of Sports and Heritage was to support the Pakistani Nationals application for special passes to participate in an Indian cultural festival via issuance of a ‘Letter of No Objection’ to the Director of Immigration Services as part of the Ministry’s mandate in promoting cultural integration,” read the statement.

Echesa further highlighted that the buck stopped with the immigration department as it was their duty to ensure that all legal requirements were met by the eight dancers.

Mark Mwithaga