Alarm bells have been rung with Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu revealing that a considerate number of Kenyans stuck in Lebanon have not registered for evacuation as advised by the government.
In her response to the The Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman), the PS revealed that of the estimated 26,000 Kenyans living and working in Lebanon, only about 7,000 of them had registered for the government evacuation programme by the 11 October deadline.
According to the Ombudsman, the PS also informed their office that out of 7,000 Kenyans who had registered with the Diaspora Affairs Department, only 30 of them were evacuated.
This came after the 35 Kenyans who had shown their willingness to be facilitated by the government in the evacuation program suffered another significant setback after 5 of them failed to show up despite the government having had made arrangements for their air tickets.
The trend further complicated matters for the government in its efforts to assure Kenyans back home that their countrymen in the Asian country are safe as the war situation continued to escalate.
‘’And of those who have expressed readiness to be evacuated, the Government has of October 11, 2024, facilitated 35 of them to return home. This is part of the information released by the State Department for Diaspora Affairs following a suo moto (own motion) inquiry by the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) to establish the status of Kenyans in Lebanon in the context of the escalating conflict in the region,’’ the Ombudsman shared in a statement.
The Ombudsman initially reached out to the Principal Secretary to clarify the situation of Kenyans in Lebanon, following reports—particularly on social media—of Kenyans being stranded in war-torn areas.
‘’The Commission is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of Kenyan citizens living and working in Lebanon and the increasing risks to their lives and property, including limited access to essential services and the potential for further violence,’’ the letter read in part.
PS Njogu further revealed that the government had already put in place an evacuation plan drawn up by a Multi-Agency Committee that is currently overseeing the evacuation strategy.
The government has also set up a portal where Kenyans can register for evacuation. The site includes emergency contact phone numbers which Kenyans can use to reach out for assistance.
Meanwhile, Kenyans have been advised to move away from the epicentre of the violence in Lebanon to key safe areas mapped out for them by the government.
''Kenyans have been advised to move away from the epicentre of the violence, South of Lebanon, to the North of Lebanon which is safer. In addition, to Lebanese government's safe shelters, Kenya has secured additional shelters to cater for citizens as evacuation exercise continues,’’ Njogu shared.
‘’The Department has dispatched ten consular staff to support staff at Kenya Embassy in Kuwait and the Honorary Consulate in Beirut to hasten the evacuation process; and Kenya Embassy in Kuwait has negotiated with Lebanese government for waiver of overstay penalties and exit clearance fees which would otherwise cause hurdles is faster evacuations,’’ she added.
