This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
Published on May 21, 2020, Nairobi — The COVID-19 pandemic has left many Kenyans stranded abroad, unable to afford air-tickets back home.
The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on coronavirus, chaired by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, has urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the evacuation of these broke Kenyans, with priority given to students.
According to the committee's sixth progress report, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should set a criterion on eligibility of Kenyans in the diaspora who are in dire need of coming back home but cannot afford air-tickets.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Ambassador Macharia Kamau had previously stated that evacuating Kenyans stranded abroad would be costly, with the government opting to ask Kenyans willing to come back home to meet their travel costs.
However, Sakaja challenged the Ministry to make a request for support from the various emergency funds that have been set up to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, to ensure that all Kenyans willing to come back home are facilitated.
As of the committee's report, the Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund Board had collected over Sh2.7 billion, with most of the funds channeled towards the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment for healthcare workers and support for vulnerable communities.
Despite the government's efforts, close to 1,000 Kenyans have been evacuated from abroad, mainly from China, London, and India, after paying for their travel costs.
