Kenya and Ugandan officials Friday failed to agree on fresh requests from Uganda to re-accept the 14 Ethiopian immigrants who are being held at Malaba Uganda police Post when Kenya declined to clear them after being deported back from Uganda on Thursday.
Kenyan Immigration and security officials insisted that they were still consulting with higher authorities before deciding on whether to allow the Ethiopians permission to return to their country through Kenya or not.
Ugandan delegation at the meeting included the in charge of Malaba Police, Joseph Mwesiggye, two immigration officers and two intelligence officers.
Kenya was represented by Immigration officer Wambua Mutinda and a security officer.
Mwesiggye told KBC that there should be no cause for alarm as the 14 Ethiopians were on transit and would leave Uganda for their home country through Kenya anytime.
Security reports had indicated that passports of the six Ethiopian Immigrants were forged as they didn't correspondent with facial appearances.
However, Mwesiggye said he had gone through all the passports and concluded that none was forged.
Sources said some Kenyan immigration officers who were no supposed to be on duty cleared the 14 immigrants under the cover of darkness and with no records computerized to confirm that the incident was a clear case of human trafficking.
The immigrants claimed that they spent three weeks in police cells in Uganda before they were subsequently released "with an apology" for illegal detention.
The incident came amid claims that some corrupt immigration officials in the border towns of Malaba and Busia were abetting human trafficking which is a threat to national security.
The 14 were arrested by the Rwandan Immigration authorities on December 21, 2009 after they attempted to enter the country through Katuna border without visas.
The immigrants were en-route to South Africa by road through Mozambique for an unknown mission.
According to one of the immigrants, Mesfin Haile Mussa aged 33; they entered Kenya through the border points of Lokichogio and Moyale and met briefly in an Eastleigh hotel in Nairobi.
The Ethiopians then embarked on a journey by Public Service transport to Malaba border where they were cleared on the night of December 18, 2009 under mysterious circumstances until the Rwandan authorities discovered their status.
The source further said that the search revealed that the 14 never passed through the office yet documents indicates that they were cleared by immigration officials.
Kenyan Immigration and security officials insisted that they were still consulting with higher authorities before deciding on whether to allow the Ethiopians permission to return to their country through Kenya or not.
Ugandan delegation at the meeting included the in charge of Malaba Police, Joseph Mwesiggye, two immigration officers and two intelligence officers.
Kenya was represented by Immigration officer Wambua Mutinda and a security officer.
Mwesiggye told KBC that there should be no cause for alarm as the 14 Ethiopians were on transit and would leave Uganda for their home country through Kenya anytime.
Security reports had indicated that passports of the six Ethiopian Immigrants were forged as they didn't correspondent with facial appearances.
However, Mwesiggye said he had gone through all the passports and concluded that none was forged.
Sources said some Kenyan immigration officers who were no supposed to be on duty cleared the 14 immigrants under the cover of darkness and with no records computerized to confirm that the incident was a clear case of human trafficking.
The immigrants claimed that they spent three weeks in police cells in Uganda before they were subsequently released "with an apology" for illegal detention.
The incident came amid claims that some corrupt immigration officials in the border towns of Malaba and Busia were abetting human trafficking which is a threat to national security.
The 14 were arrested by the Rwandan Immigration authorities on December 21, 2009 after they attempted to enter the country through Katuna border without visas.
The immigrants were en-route to South Africa by road through Mozambique for an unknown mission.
According to one of the immigrants, Mesfin Haile Mussa aged 33; they entered Kenya through the border points of Lokichogio and Moyale and met briefly in an Eastleigh hotel in Nairobi.
The Ethiopians then embarked on a journey by Public Service transport to Malaba border where they were cleared on the night of December 18, 2009 under mysterious circumstances until the Rwandan authorities discovered their status.
The source further said that the search revealed that the 14 never passed through the office yet documents indicates that they were cleared by immigration officials.
