President Uhuru Kenyatta has broken his silence over the state's decision to compel Kenyans stuck in China and other parts o the world to settle their own airfare to be evacuated.
In a morning interview on Radio Citizen on Wednesday, April 22, the head of state defended the government's decision noting that it was doing all it could since passenger planes had been grounded globally. He, however, noted that the state was exploiting ways to help Kenyan stranded in other countries including China
He further argued that since the government was battling unprecedented challenges, Kenyans abroad would be compelled to chip in and cover a section of the costs in order to be flown back into the country.
"We are looking at this matter on a case-to-case basis and we have decided, knowing that there are others who were there on legal business and treatment.
"There are many Kenyans in different countries and we are looking at how we can bring them home and how we can coordinate with other countries and bring them home," stated the president.
"The issue is not just affecting Kenyans but also citizens of other bigger countries like the US and UK.
"With our effort, we are trying to see how we can bring our people home. There were those in Dubai and other parts and we wanted to see how they can pay a little and come back home," he continued.
"If we speak the truth, no airplane and no ship is coming back home until we get a normal state of affairs and we want to see what we can do," added the president.
The Kenyan Embassy to China caused a stir on Saturday, April 18, after announcing that it was ready to evacuate Kenyans in China as long as they paid for their own air ticket.
This is after the Kenyans spoke out in detail, arguing that they had been evicted from their houses and were forced to live in the streets among other discriminatory Covid-19 measures against Africans that China stands accused of.
Some of the requirements for Kenyans stuck in China to be evacuated include possession of a Kenyan passport, a certificate proving one is Covid-19 free and willingness to be placed on mandatory quarantine for 14 to 28 days upon arrival.
Kenyans desperate to leave the hostile environment in China asked to be advanced loans to cater to the airfare while urging the government to consider using the Covid-19 Fund that as of Tuesday, March 22, stood at Ksh1.2 billion.
Rais Uhuru Kenyatta: Mambo ya waKenya walio Uchina na nchi za nje tunaagazia kwa “case by case basis”. Tunaangalia ni njia zipi tutatumia kuwasaidia kurudi nyumbani na kusaidiana na serikali hizo kuhakikisha waKenya wanatunzwa kwa njia inayotakikana #UhuruSpeaks pic.twitter.com/n3woyMEul0
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) April 22, 2020
