Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu revealed that the government had not received any reports from Kenya's Embassy in the Gulf regarding the safety of Kenyans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid raging floods.
Speaking during an interview with Kenyans.co.ke on Tuesday, Njogu pointed out that the government is always ready to deal with such emergencies and maintains a budget to conduct special operations such as evacuation.
"As far as we are aware, our reports don't indicate that any Kenyan was caught up in the floods or has been affected apart from the usual inconveniences such as the one we are having because of the rains," Njogu explained.
"We haven't had any request for help or distress cries from Dubai through either our consulate in Dubai or Embassy in Abu Dhabi but as always, we stand ready to assist and support Kenyans who are distressed either because of political unrest or because of war."
"We work very closely with the Kenyan missions abroad. As far as Dubai is concerned, we have not received any calls for distress," the PS added.
"Our Consulate and Embassy stand ready to support in case anybody is distressed can come to our offices or reach us through our social media handles."
PS Njogu stated that Kenyans in Diaspora can access nine services from the State Department which are listed on the eCitizen platform.
"We have nine services on the eCitizen platform which include helping trace loved ones abroad who cannot be found, registering as a diaspora member, registering an association, requesting counselling, requesting for repatriation or evacuation for either yourself or on behalf of another person."
The floods in the Gulf disrupted air travel and brought the country to a standstill as cars were submerged halfway at the airport's parking lot. Meanwhile, access roads were also immersed. International media reported that the death toll in Oman stood at 20.
According to the latest data, an estimated 50,000 Kenyans reside in the UAE, with 35,000 in Dubai. Another 7,000 Kenyans are estimated to live in Abu Dhabi.
The government had already indicated that it is open to helping Kenyans in the region. This includes through free maintenance of electronic devices, repairing homes, or providing food and shelter.
Further, Dubai's Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan directed the government to release early payments to enable those residing in the country to cope with the emergency.
