This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On Wednesday, the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with Saudi Airlines, successfully repatriated 174 Kenyans who had been stranded in the foreign country since March.
According to a statement from the Saudia embassy, the repatriated Kenyans departed from the port city of Jeddah aboard Flight SV431 at 7:45 am.
Since April, the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia had temporarily suspended its normal operations and consular services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff working virtually and on duty call.
However, with the easing of restrictions, the embassy has been working with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and other government agencies to facilitate the travel of Kenyan citizens back home.
Earlier in April, a Kenyan died of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, with the Kenyan ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Peter Ogego, stating that the victim had an underlying medical condition prior to the pandemic.
