Deportation of Kenyan immigrant halted again

A Kenyan asylum seeker who claims his life will be in danger if he is sent home escaped deportation for the fourth time yesterday after the Home Office postponed orders for his removal.

Kevin Kahara, 25, was due to be taken from the country last night, leaving behind his mother and sister who are also facing deportation. He would also have been separated from his British resident girlfriend and their five-year-old son, Kai.

But today Kevin was still being held at Campsfield immigration detention centre in Oxfordshire after his case was reported in The Independent yesterday. His family are members of the Kikuyu tribe, which has been at the centre of the recent violence in Kenya. They fear he will be killed if forced to return.

Speaking from Campsfield, Mr Kahara said: "It's been a nightmare. I've been in detention for three months, and been booked on four flights. It's getting to me – I can't sleep at night.

"You can see what's happening in Kenya at the moment – the country's not stable and I wouldn't be safe. It's not fair what they do to people. All my family are here and I haven't committed any crime."

Kevin's mother, Jane, was tortured and abused for two months in a Nairobi prison before abandoning her country to start a new life in the UK with her young children more than 10 years ago. She and her daughter, Cynthia, also face deportation.

The Home Office yesterday declined to explain the cancellation of Mr Kahara's removal. A spokesman said it would "continue to provide protection through asylum for those with a well-founded fear of persecution".