This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
On June 5, 2020, four Kenyan athletes who had been stranded in India following the coronavirus outbreak landed back home after being bailed out by Kenyan authorities.
The athletes, Michael Kipyego, Millicent Gathoni, Benjamin Kipkasi, and Isaac Kipkemoi, were among those who had been waiting to return home after their cash reserves were depleted.
According to Kipyego, he was to compete on March 5, but the coronavirus was getting bad, and a lockdown was announced immediately, forcing the race organisers to cancel the event.
"I was to compete on March 5, and when I arrived in India, the coronavirus was getting bad and a lockdown was announced immediately, forcing the race organisers to cancel the event. I had to rent a house as I wait for things to normalize," Kipyego said.
After Kenya Airways announced that there was a flight that would rescue stranded Kenyans last month, the athletes were happy and went for registration, but the air ticket fare was "too high" for them.
Later, Air India announced that it would be flying to rescue Indian nationals in Kenya, and this was a golden chance for a number of Kenyans who missed the Kenya Airways evacuation flight a month ago.
"I managed to contact the AK President (Jack Tuwei) who asked me, together with the other athletes, to follow procedures of that country and contact the embassy," Kipyego added.
The four athletes were tested for the coronavirus and the results came back negative. They were able to board the Air India 961 repatriation flight, which departed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai and landed at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Friday.
Athletics Kenya paid for the athletes' tickets from Mumbai to Nairobi, which cost Sh71,900 per person.
"I'm happy the four athletes arrived home safely after AK identified them and with the help of the Kenyan Embassy in India, they will be reuniting with their families soon," said Tuwei.
Seven other athletes are still stranded in India, and according to Tuwei, there are plans to bring them back home soon once the federation gets another flight leaving India for Kenya.
