This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 15, 2020, 174 Kenyans who had been stranded in Saudi Arabia since March were finally repatriated, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Kenyan Embassy and Saudi Airlines.
The repatriation effort was a result of the ongoing efforts by the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia to facilitate the return of its citizens to Kenya.
According to a statement by the Saudi Embassy, the Kenyans departed from the port city of Jeddah at 7:45 am aboard a flight operated by Saudi Airlines.
"The Embassy, in conjunction with Saudi Airlines, successfully repatriated 174 Kenyans from the Kingdom this morning. The Flight, SV431, departed at 7.45 am from the port city of Jeddah," the statement said.
It is worth noting that the repatriation effort comes after a Kenyan citizen died of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia in April 2020. The victim had an underlying medical condition prior to the pandemic, according to Kenyan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Peter Ogego.
As a precautionary measure, the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended its normal operations and consular services in April 2020 to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
