This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
As the world continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, Kenyans who were caught up in lockdowns abroad have started returning home. The first batch of returnees, comprising 84 citizens, landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport aboard a Kenya Airways plane from London on Monday night.
According to a source, the passengers were screened at the airport before being taken into quarantine, where they had previously selected their centres. Mr. Ambrose Njeru, one of the passengers, explained that the travellers had sent their coronavirus results to a Kenya Airways doctor, who approved their request for travel.
Every passenger paid Ksh53,544 ($535) for the journey, with some passengers occupying three seats due to the limited capacity of the plane. Mr. Njeru noted that the process at JKIA was smooth, with officials already having a list of the returnees, allowing them to proceed to quarantine by 11:30 pm.
More Kenyans are expected to land from China on Thursday or Friday, with a flight from Mumbai, India, overbooked as Kenyans jostle to return home. Kenya's High Commissioner in New Delhi, Willy Bett, has assured that the mission is working to facilitate the return of stranded Kenyans, including those who may have missed seats on the flight.
Mr. Bett emphasized that the programme is not an evacuation or repatriation, but rather a facilitation to help stranded Kenyans get home, with passengers paying for their tickets. The subsidized rate for the flight from India is $800 for business-class and $400 for economy, with patients and caregivers given priority.
