A Kenyan politician affiliated with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has been arrested in the United States during a human trafficking sting conducted by law enforcement in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Abdullahi Yussuf Sheikh Nur, who contested — and lost — the Wajir South parliamentary seat under the UDA ticket during the 2022 General Election, was among 12 men arrested in an undercover operation targeting child exploitation and sex trafficking.
According to court documents, the 46-year-old politician was apprehended after arranging a paid meet-up with someone he believed to be a 17-year-old girl. The “girl” was in fact an undercover police officer.
Nur reportedly continued communication with the undercover agent even after being told the individual was a minor. He was eventually arrested at a local golf course, carrying $250 in cash and a mobile phone, ready for the illicit meeting.
The sting was part of a broader initiative by the Eden Prairie Police Department, which has been working along the Interstate 494 corridor to combat human trafficking and child exploitation.
“These operations are critical to dismantling human trafficking networks and protecting vulnerable individuals,” said a police spokesperson.
Since 2016, Eden Prairie police have conducted 38 similar sting operations, leading to more than 400 arrests. They have also helped 117 trafficking victims access safety, counseling, and rehabilitation services.
Nur’s arrest is likely to raise questions within the UDA party and the wider Kenyan political scene, where he had positioned himself as a promising candidate in North Eastern Kenya.
So far, neither the UDA leadership nor Kenyan embassy officials in the U.S. have issued formal statements regarding his arrest.
