This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
400 Chinese to Flee Nairobi for Home Over Coronavirus Fears ¶
Published on June 12, 2020
Some 400 Chinese nationals are preparing to leave Kenya this week due to fears of the Covid-19 pandemic. They have obtained an order from a High Court in Nairobi, directing the Kenya government to allow them to leave on June 16.
The Chinese nationals, mainly living in Nairobi, are expected to be led by the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, Wu Peng, who has been recalled to Beijing. They argue that Kenya's health system cannot handle huge infection numbers in the event that the pandemic spreads rapidly in the country.
According to their lawyer, Isaac Okinyo, the group has underlying conditions and others just don't feel safe in Kenya. 'They have underlying conditions and others just don’t feel safe here,' he said. 'All the isolation centres are full, testing and contact tracing is a big deal to the Kenyan government. Let them just go back home as they so wish,' he added.
The group claims they have a better chance of treatment in China, as Kenya does not have enough health facilities and equipment to manage coronavirus patients. They have obtained a court order allowing them to leave the country, citing Kenya's health system as unable to handle the spread of the virus.
China was the ground zero of the novel coronavirus after it alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019, about several cases of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. The virus has since spread to about 200 countries, with the US, Brazil, and Russia experiencing the most widespread outbreaks.
Kenya has confirmed 3,305 cases and 96 deaths as of Friday. The planned flight also marks the end of Ambassador Wu's short tour of duty in Kenya. Mr Wu, born in 1967, had been prominent on Kenyan media since he arrived in March 2019, replacing Ms Sun Baohong, who had been recalled in December 2018 for lighter duties over poor health.
