Ministry in struggle to fly back Kenyans stuck abroad
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo. She said some 744 Kenyans have been brought back by the government from abroad. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A further 193 Kenyans across the globe have tested positive for the virus, with 88 still undergoing treatment. There have been eight recoveries.
- Ms Omamo said all staff in foreign missions are safe. A majority of the returnees are from India, China, the United Arabs Emirates (UAE), Pakistan and the UK.
At least 24 Kenyans abroad have died of Covid-19 while 41 are in critical condition in various hospitals across the world, the Foreign Affairs ministry has said.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo on Wednesday told a Senate ad hoc committee on Covid-19 that another seven Kenyans had died but not due to the pandemic.
A further 193 Kenyans across the globe have tested positive for the virus, with 88 still undergoing treatment. There have been eight recoveries, she said.
Kenyans in France, the UK, the US, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Italy are the worst affected by the pandemic. Some 744 Kenyans have been brought back by the government.
Ms Omamo said all staff in foreign missions are safe. A majority of the returnees are from India, China, the United Arabs Emirates (UAE), Pakistan and the UK.
The CS told the committee that 135 Kenyans in the UAE whose work contracts had expired had been flown back after they were rendered destitute.
She also told the Johnson Sakaja-chaired committee that the ministry has set up a special team chaired by Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba to deal with the plight of more than 10,000 domestic workers in the Middle East.
Some 30 truck drivers are quarantined in Uganda after they tested positive, while others are quarantined in Rwanda.
CASE URGENCY
Ms Omamo said the ministry continues to receive numerous cases of Kenyans who want to come back home and priority was being given to cases that need urgent attention.
“Sometimes we have to ask them why they want to come back. If it is a matter of expiry of (their visas), then we talk to the concerned authorities and the matter is resolved and it ends there,” she said.
The CS expressed concerns that citizens live in many parts of the diaspora and the government doesn’t have missions in every country and assisting all Kenyans who are stranded is proving difficult.
“Bringing Kenyans back home is not an easy task as most countries have closed their airspace, and therefore, we have to engage the authorities. Many Kenyans don’t register with our embassies, so we don’t know where they are and we cannot assist them,” she said.
