A non-governmental organisation based in Malindi has launched a programme to bring Americans with African roots to Kenya as part of a broader plan to help foreign citizens reconnect with their roots.
The initiative, led by Adila Mohammad, a United States citizen of African origin, aims to help Black Americans reconnect with their roots dating back 400 years.
Muhammad, who owns Adila Relocation Services, while addressing the press on Thursday, April 3, revealed that the non-profit organisation had so far relocated about 15 families to Kenya.
According to her, the organisation, based in Malindi, Kilifi County, was ready to assist any American citizen with African roots to seamlessly travel back and live in the country.
She reiterated that the reason for the relocation was due to several issues facing Black people abroad, particularly issues of racial discrimination.
“The aim is to bring us back home to spaces that look familiar, where people look, sound, and feel like us, so that we can be appreciated and shown kindness,” Muhammad said.
During the relocation process, the organisation handles everything, including visa acquisition and other legal immigration documents required for foreign travel.
"We want to make it a smooth transformation, so we handle everything from getting legal immigration, healthcare, and ensuring a smooth transition to Kenya," noted Muhammad.
The latest move comes amid threats by US President Donald Trump to deport foreign nationals, including Kenyans and other Africans who illegally entered America.
Recently, the US government launched the self-deportation Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home application for those seeking to travel back to their countries of origin and avoid deportation.
According to the International Migrant Stock 2020 dataset by the United Nations, the US hosts the largest number of Kenyan migrants at 157,000, out of which 30,000 are illegal migrants.
Meanwhile, in the app, migrants are required to register, outlining their reason for departure, their name, address, upload their photo and declare whether they have adequate finances to leave the US.
