183 Kenyas in China register for return flight, many yet to buy ticket

At least 183 Kenyans residing in China have registered to be evacuated back home, however the majority are yet to buy air tickets.

The government has been under pressure to use part of the billions that have been set aside or received from donors to deal with the effects of Covid-19 to bring Kenyans - most of whom are students, domestic workers and business people - back home.

On Friday, Kenya’s ambassador to China Sarah Serem announced that a Kenya Airways plane will leave Guangzhou on Friday next week.

“As you are aware, the flight is a special arrangement that has been availed by the government of Kenya and that of China following the closure of airspace and cancellation of international flights as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and in response to your distress to be facilitated to go back home,” Serem said in an address on Kenyans in China.

The former Salaries and Remuneration Commission chairperson said her office has made arrangements with the Chinese government to give amnesty to those with expired visas.

“I would encourage everyone to take advantage of this gesture and arrangement as it will be very difficult to make a similar arrangement in the near future before the current situation normalizes, this might be the only opportunity available to those wishing to go home and therefore you should make urgency to book and secure yourself a seat,” she said.

Serem said Kenyans with expired or lost passport will be issued with emergency travel documents calling on them to urgently submit relevant documents to the embassy for processing.

Kenyans will also be required to obtain a Covid-19 certificate prior to the day of travelling.

“Let’s continue to observe the measures put in place to contain the pandemic. As Kenyans in China, we have every reason to be thankful to God. He has protected each one of us from the pandemic and it is important therefore to continue observing the measures of keeping safe both here in China and while back home,” she said.

The government had earlier ruled out any plans to evacuate Kenyans stranded in China and instead proposed creation of a diaspora fund for them.