By Joshua Cheloti

Police officers in Machakos County on Tuesday evening rescued 18 people believed to have been victims of human trafficking.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says the 18 had been harboured at a house in Athi River, as they were being prepared to be flown to the Gulf where they were to be sold as slaves.

DCI says police officers from the Transnational Organized Crimes Unit conducted a raid at the house where the 18 were found.

“The 18 were about to be shipped out of the country when the hawk-eyed detectives arrived and rescued them, following Intelligence leads,” noted the DCI.

During the raid, three suspects believed to be involved in the human trafficking activity were arrested.

The three have been identified as Abdullahi Hussein Mohamed, 32, Hassan Ibrahim Godana, 35 and Chari Dulacha, 40.

The rescue of the human trafficking victims and subsequent arrest of the suspects comes in the wake of increased cases of mistreatment of migrant workers in the gulf.

A recent case is for Diana Chepkemoi, a lady who caught the attention of Kenyans on Twitter after her emaciated photo surfaced online.

Chepkemoi, who dropped out of university and travelled to Saudi Arabia is believed to have been subjected to mistreatment at the hands of her bosses.

But following an uproar from Kenyans, she was finally rescued and returned to the country on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

“People are tortured psychologically, physically and it is not fair. t is a shame being told there is nothing you can do about it,” Chepkemoi said as she was received by her family at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.

And with the arrest of the suspects, the rescue of the victims and narration from Chepkemoi, the DCI is now advising jobseekers to be wary of unscrupulous employment agents who are not recognized by the government but end up sneaking out immigrants without proper documentation.

The three suspects are in custody at Muthaiga Police station as police process them for arraignment.

“Meanwhile, the rescued victims are in protective custody as detectives continue with their documentation,” noted the DCI.