‘I fell in love with a Kenyan man,’ Sierra Leonean jailed for being in Kenya illegally

In his verdict, the Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Daniel Sitati ordered that the alien, Ms Hawa Sam, be repatriated back to her country of origin immediately after she pays the fine or concludes her jail term.

The Sierra Leonean was charged that on or before April 16, 2026 at Teleview area in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County, being a Sierra Leone National, she was found illegally present in the country without a permit to warrant her stay in Kenya contrary to section 53(1) (i) as read with section 53(2) of Kenya citizenship and Immigration Act of No 12 of 2010.

In her defence, Sam tickled the court by saying that she fell in love with a Kenyan man while enjoying her holiday in the country, thus forgetting to renew her tourist visa.

She pleaded with the Presiding Magistrate to pardon her, promising not to repeat the mistake again when she visits the country.

Ms Sam called out the name of her Kenyan boyfriend and presented him to the court as her evidence that indeed they were a couple.