Freetown, 23rd April 2026- A Sierra Leonean national has been sentenced to one month in jail or fined Ksh. 50,000, about 387 USD, after pleading guilty to being in Kenya illegally. The case, reported by Citizen Digital, has drawn attention for the unusual defence she offered in court.
The Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate, Daniel Sitati, ruled that Ms. Hawa Sam be repatriated to Sierra Leone immediately after serving her sentence or paying the fine. She was charged under Section 53 of Kenya’s Citizenship and Immigration Act for failing to renew her tourist visa.
In her plea, Sam told the court she had “fallen in love with a Kenyan man” during her holiday and, in the excitement of her new relationship, forgot to extend her visa. She even named her boyfriend in court and presented him as proof of their relationship, asking the magistrate for leniency and promising not to repeat the mistake.
Despite her emotional appeal, the court maintained that immigration laws must be upheld. Sam will either serve her jail term or pay the fine before being deported back to Sierra Leone.
