In a statement released on Sunday, April 19, the ambassador noted that the high commission was in communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to allow for the evacuation.
If it succeeds, some 211 Kenyans will board a plane to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
“The Kenya High Commission London is in continuous communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters in Nairobi about the fate of some Kenyans who may be stranded in the UK due to flight cancellations occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Medical practitioners in protective gear at the Coronavirus Isolation facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Simon Kiragu
kenyagist.com
“We are working on logistics for a possible evacuation flight from London’s Heathrow to Nairobi. Kenya Airways has given 211 as the minimum number of passengers for whom a chartered flight can be arranged,” read part of the statement.
The embassy also clarified that the interested Kenyans would, however, have to foot the bill for their airfare.
“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 at their own cost,” continued the statement.
This comes just a day after the Kenyan Embassy to China caused a stir after announcing that it was ready to evacuate Kenyans in China as long as they foot their own air ticket.
This is after the Kenyans spoke out in detail, arguing that they had been evicted from their house and were forced to live in the streets. They also lamented at how they had been subjected to forced Coronavirus (Covid-19) tests.
The embassy also demanded that the Kenyans were to file details with the Embassy and must be Coronavirus free.
Some Kenyans in China confirmed to kenyagist.com that they had indeed received communication regarding the same from the embassy.
“They will incur so much, because remember after paying approximately $1,000 (Ksh 106,000) as air ticket, they will also have to quarantine for 14 days in Kenya upon landing. Or maybe even 28 days,” the source informed kenyagist.com.
Kenyans in India, on the other hand, have lamented that the hardship in the country became unbearable as most people caught up in the pandemic had started running out of money.
The government has previously noted that it was aware of the situation since most Kenyans in Indian had gone there strictly for medical reasons.
“Some of them sadly have lost the patients with whom they went for treatment and this is tragic but they are not able to bring their loved ones home.
“We also request Kenyans to bear with us and bury those who die in the diaspora within 24 hours,” noted Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Macharia Kamau on Tuesday, April 14.
Africans sleep in the streets in China as seen on Thursday, April 9, 2020
File
