I ran into this story on the Capital FM Website.
77 in custody for US Visa fraud
By Michael Mumo
Seventy seven people have been arrested overa visa fraud at the US Embassy in Nairobi.
They were detained following a sting to nab people organizing and participating in a cartel that pairs would-be illegal US immigrants with legitimate Kenyan winners of the State Department's green card lottery.
Officials familiar with the operation say 84 people had been targeted in the sting, which was planned by local police and agents from the US State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
The suspects were picked up from the embassy and driven to Gigiri police station in a lorry.
They had been told to report to the embassy today for processing of their visa applications unaware that they were falling into a trap.
Personally for me this story highlights how far Kenyans are willing to go to flee the motherland.When one looks at the living standards of everyday Kenyans it's hard not to empathise.
I remember watching a human interest piece that was done by Nation TV during the 2005 budget.They interviewed a father of 3 living in the Kibera Slums.This man and his family lived in a hovel that barely protected them from the ravages of the elements.He then went on to show the reporter his wardrobe, 2 thread bare shirts; he went on to say that he buys a new shirt each year.His childrens' clothes were just as run down.When it came to meals, the man told the reporter that he usually makes do with one meal a day; dinner.He said that the one good thing that the Kenyan government had done was to provide feeding programs in schools located in the low income areas of Kenya.This was done as an incentive to keep children in school as oppossed to them rummaging for subsistence or being used by their parents as labour so as to earn their keep.The same man who would earn 100 shillings if he was lucky enough to get a job after waiting outside factories outside the Industrial Area had a debt of close to 1,500/= at his local shop after taking goods on credit for his family.So in addition to nothing to live on the man was also in great debt!It is no wonder that some choose to involve themselves in illegal activities such as theft or prostitution.The hopelessness of the life ahead hasn't been lost on the youth, many of the car jackers nowadays are around the age of 20.On graduating high school and finding that their hopes and dreams have to be crushed and even making a basic living is enough of a challenge, this path seems very attractive.
It is no wonder that those who have the connections and the means are sending their offspring out of the country.Even though sending children who are barely out of their teen years out of the country to fend for themselves as alot like throwing hatchlings out of the nest before they can fly.Life abroad is very tough and the challenges have increased ten-fold after 9/11.It is not very comfortable being a foreigner nowadays whether you are black, white or yellow.
I am not by any means justifying fleeing Kenya but given the fact that half of the population live on a dollar a day and that 80% of the money in the country is controlled by 5% of the population, doesn't it give you something to think about?Many of the people who are abroad yearn for the opportunity to come back and rebuild the country, but many have been reduced to economic refugees and live life from pay check to pay check.I wonder if the government would be willing to provide air tickets for these individuals to come back home (although they could get themselves deported if they wanted to come back home for free 
). I think it is also the fear of joblessness that keeps some of these people away.That and the fact that in their many years abroad of scrimping they would go home to find that their age mates have surpassed them by miles in terms of achievements and they would have no place.But I suppose my mind is now running down bunny trails.
As you were!
