This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
On Thursday evening, a long-awaited repatriation flight from India, KQ 205, landed in Nairobi, bringing 234 Kenyans home after a prolonged wait.
The flight, which departed Mumbai at 6:30 pm local time, also carried the bodies of two passengers who had passed away before and during the flight.
Kenya's High Commission in New Delhi had worked tirelessly to facilitate the return of the stranded Kenyans, who had been in India since March 23, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The repatriation effort was made possible through the efforts of Kenya's High Commissioner to India, Willy Bett, who had earlier confirmed that some patients and caregivers may have missed seats on the flight.
However, in a surprising twist, it emerged that 17 people who had intended to travel back home were ejected and replaced with patients and their caregivers, with the High Commissioner explaining that priority was given to the most vulnerable individuals.
The flight was a Kenyan initiative, with Kenya Airways working closely with the High Commission to ensure that no patient missed the flight.
Among the passengers was Simon Chege, a father who had been waiting to reunite with his 10-year-old son, Lewis, who was undergoing cancer treatment in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, in China, Kenyans who had sought repatriation face new challenges, with the embassy announcing that waivers for travel tickets would no longer be issued.
The decision has left 13 people in dire need of travel facing the possibility of missing out on the repatriation flight, which is now scheduled for Saturday, May 9.
