• Mudavadi said we can't prioritize money over the well-being of our citizens.
• Asking them to pay air ticket and tests for the virus when we have quarantine centres supported with taxpayers money is unpatriotic.
Foreign missions are failing Kenyans abroad, ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Mudavadi said the offices “are there to serve citizens abroad and should not behave like they are doing them favours.”
He urged the government to review the operational guidelines for foreign missions.
“We can't prioritise money over the well-being of our citizens. Why do we want to ask hapless stranded Kenyans to pay for a ticket home by our airline which is already heavily supported by taxpayers' money through repeated bailouts,” he said.
His remarks came as the government announced that it will evacuate stranded Kenyans in the United Kingdon at their cost.
The Kenyan High Commission in London said it is in touch with the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Nairobi on the fate of citizens who missed flights due to cancellations occasioned by the coronavirus.
The embassy in Beijing has also said it is working on modalities to evacuate Kenyans in China, with similar conditions.
This has sparked outrage among Kenyans back home who want the government to meet the cost of evacuations from any part of the world.
Mudavadi wondered why the government is asking those stranded abroad to pay for their tickets yet there is the Covid-19 Response Fund which could cater for the costs.
“Asking them to pay air ticket and tests for the virus when we have quarantine centres supported with taxpayers money is unpatriotic,” he said.
Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has suggested that the government could even bring stranded Kenyans back home on loan.
Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetang’ula said the Kenyan embassy in Beijing was a big letdown.
“You can’t offer distressed Kenyans an evacuation at their cost,” he said.
Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua said it was absurd for a country to place conditions for its citizens to return home.
All Kenyans in India wanting to return home have also been requested to submit their names to the Kenyan High Commission in New Delhi.
One must have a valid passport, be able to cover their fare and be Covid-19 free with a certificate to that effect.
Mudavadi regretted that Kenyans in the diaspora, especially China, continue to suffer racial discrimination.
Leaders across the board have been urging the government to act quickly and evacuate its citizens as soon as possible.
Mudavadi said the Covid-19 Response Fund could be used to pay for the air ticket. The proposal has been supported by other leaders across the political divide.
The UK is among countries worst-hit by the virus that has taken a toll in Europe and the US, with the highest number of deaths globally.
Those keen to fly back to Nairobi will be expected to meet the cost for their air ticket and also be subjected to the 14-28 days mandatory quarantine period imposed by the government.
(edited by o. owino)