Kenyans who commit felonies in the United Kingdom (UK) face immediate deportation after the British government introduced sweeping new laws to fast-track the ejection of foreign criminals from the country. In a major policy shift announced on Sunday, August 10, the UK confirmed that foreign nationals sentenced for criminal offences face deportation immediately after conviction. The new measures are part of the UK's "Plan for Change" initiative, intended to strengthen border control and cut prison costs.
The UK government also aims to protect the public by removing foreign offenders as swiftly as possible. According to the UK government, the move was also prompted by an emerging trend where immigrants abused the immigration system, which previously allowed foreign nationals to serve at least half of their prison sentence in the country before being considered for deportation. UK's Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood Photo The Independent In June 2025, the threshold of the prison sentence before being considered for deportation was reduced to 30 per cent, and now, the latest legislative changes have paved the way for immediate deportation after sentencing in certain cases.
The UK's Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is among the big endorsers of the new legislation, emphasising that the goal was to keep British streets safer and reduce the financial burden of running prisons on taxpayers. "If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing," she stated.
With British prisons nearing 100 per cent capacity, it is estimated that the UK government incurs an average annual cost of Ksh9.4 million (£54,000) per inmate, all of which is incurred by the UK taxpayer. Since July 2024, deportations of foreign national offenders (FNOs) have already risen by 14 per cent, with at least 5,200 foreigners removed from the country in the past year. Kenya is now officially on a list of 15 additional countries included in the UK's "Deport Now, Appeal Later" policy.
