Data on Kenyans living abroad remains unclear amid ongoing efforts to fly people back from war-stricken Lebanon, the government has admitted.
The admission emerged on Thursday, November 7, during a meeting between the Members of the Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers and the Ministry officials.
Ministry officials had been summoned to answer queries relating to the safety and welfare of Kenyan migrant workers and students in Lebanon.
From the meeting, Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu presented a report indicating that 26,599 Kenyans are currently living and working in the Middle-Eastern nation.
This figure was, however, a far cry from the 7,119 Kenyans in Lebanon who are documented through registration, which has also provided their location and presence.
While confirming that 167 Kenyans had been repatriated, the PS also revealed that the Ministry plans to utilise an alternative airport to facilitate the evacuation of more Kenyans from Lebanon.
“An evacuation team, led by the State Department for Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, is on the ground conducting verification and clearances for evacuation. So far, 167 Kenyans have been repatriated, with another 257 expected this week,” Njogu said.
The latest revelation came after the government confirmed a key milestone in the Lebanon evacuation mission on Thursday, as 43 more Kenyans were flown back to their home country.
The 43 Kenyans are expected to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Friday, November 8.
On Wednesday, a separate lot of 21 Kenyans had been received at the JKIA following the government's sustained efforts to step up its rescue operations, bringing the total number of repatriated Kenyans to 64 in the past week alone.
This figure was encouraging, especially after initial struggles from the government to convince Kenyans to apply for evacuation.
Besides students, hundreds of Kenyans who moved to Lebanon sought employment opportunities in various sectors including hospitality under an agreement with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
