Police in Kenya are holding 24 Ethiopians who had been abandoned in a bush in north-eastern Isiolo county, local media reported.
They are said to have sought help in a local police station in Merti area after their suspected smugglers left them on Sunday.
The unknown smugglers were reportedly avoiding roadblocks along the Isiolo- Nairobi highway.
The immigrants told police they were on transit to South Africa after crossing the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
The foreigners are in police custody waiting to be arraigned for being in the country illegally. Police said they were pursuing the smugglers.
Kenya is a common transit route for Ethiopian migrants attempting to enter South Africa.