Nairobi — More than 50 foreigners have been arrested in a security operation in North Eastern Province.

The Monday night swoop in Wajir and Garissa came as hundreds of Somali refugees fled their war-torn country ahead of a rebel advance.

The al Shabaab militiamen, who have issued threats to Kenya, took control of Dhobley border town and More Town in the lower Juba Valley.

Addressing the press in his office, provincial commissioner James ole Serian said 38 suspected Somalis are being held at the Garissa provincial police headquarters while 19 others are being quizzed at the Wajir police divisional headquarters.

Training camp

Similar operations have been carried out in Nairobi and Coast provinces netting hundreds of suspects.

In Lamu, nine youths were arrested with weapons in a training camp where they were allegedly being prepared to join rebel forces in Somalia. They were charged in court on Monday.

Mr Serian said security on the Kenyan border has been beefed up and surveillance will be enhanced to avert any aggression by the Islamic militia.

He said the control of Somali towns by the al Shabaab has led to an influx of refugees through the porous border. The government, he said, had boosted security on the border.

"We have noted that human traffickers are making a kill out of the crisis and police are closely monitoring five of them and about 20 vehicles that are allegedly used in the syndicate," the PC said.

The provincial boss further cautioned corrupt police officers and Government drivers who he said were also making money by aiding the foreigners to have safe passage to Garissa, Nairobi, Mombasa and others parts of Kenya.

He said road blocks will be mounted on routes said to be used by the traffickers.

The development comes a week after almost 20 vehicles with Somali number plates were impounded by police in Garissa due to fear that similar vehicles might be used by terror suspects.

Meanwhile, MPs from arid areas will request the government to invest 15 per cent of national revenue to develop those regions.

Four Cabinet ministers, Najib Balala (Tourism), Yussuf Hajji (Defence), Mohamed Kuti (Livestock Development) and Samuel Poghisio (Information) led 55 MPs in calling for affirmative action to develop the arid and semi arid areas.

They claimed the Coast Province, North Eastern, Upper Eastern and the North rift regions had been neglected for decades and lagged behind other regions in terms of development.

Spur development

They will ask Northern Kenya and Arid Areas Development minister Mohamed Elmi to forward their appeal to the government to pass laws that will spur development to bridge the inequality gap.

Speaking during a fundraiser in aid of a secondary school in Moyale, Isiolo South MP Abdi Bahari Ali said a special fund was needed to develop arid areas if the government is serious about Vision 2030.