Kenyan Chef John Mulwa's stay in Hamilton, Canada, was extended for 18 more months following the intervention of Canadian citizens.
Speaking to a Canadian TV station, CHCH-TV on Tuesday, January 31, Hamilton Member of Parliament (MP) Mathew Green confirmed that Mulwa's deportation was revoked.
Green stated that an online petition by locals to have his residency extended collected 19,000 signatures.
"It was a bit of a hail Mary. Having this whole community support behind him enabled our office to tell the story in a way that the Ministry took into consideration," Green explained.
On his part, an elated Mulwa intimated that he cancelled his air ticket back to Nairobi but pleaded for the temporary extension to be made permanent.
"He informed me that immigration had extended my stay, even though temporary. I am still applying to the government to allow me to stay and work here," he reiterated.
The Chef moved to Canada in 2015 citing a threat to his life. His attempts to secure protected refugee status were, however, severally denied.
He told CHCH-TV that the task put upon him by the Canadian government to prove that his life was in danger was unattainable.
"It is hard to go to the people who want to kill you and tell them to write a letter confirming the same," he remarked.
According to the Kenyan refugee, he was at the centre of a heated land dispute with his relatives which resulted in fatalities including that of police officers.
He claimed that he and his family were flushed out of the land and their houses demolished. Mulwa left his wife and child behind.
The 39-year-old indicated that he was banking on his clean record with the law and his compliance with taxes to earn him permanent residence in Canada.
