Chinese nationals living in Kenyan stormed the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in folds on Friday, hours before the resumption of International flights on Saturday, August 1.
This was a day after Transport CS James Macharia said that he had cleared 11 countries among them, China to land in Kenya following months of lockdown.
Chinese nationals were the majority among foreigners who trooped to the airport seeking to return home.
It is believed that most of them were forced to stay due to the suspension of international flights since March.
Some of the Chinese nationals who were interviewed said they were leaving the country due to the surge in COVID-19 cases which are nearing 20,000.
Most of them were women and children.
Their exodus come barely a month after another group of 400 Chinese nationals asked the court to grant them permission to leave the country over similar fears.
The High Court granted them permission to leave the country and were repatriated although, it was against the Chinese Embassy in Kenya.
In his announcement on Thursdat, CS Macharia said that the 11 countries allowed to fly in and out of Kenya; China, Japan, South Korea, Uganda, Ethiopia, Canada, Switzerland, Namibia Morocco have showed a mild rate of infection which is at the communal level.
The ministry also said that passengers who test negative for coronavirus within 96 hours before travel will be exempted from the mandatory 14-day quarantine imposed by the government.
“Let it be clear that those who will have a certificate of tests done before the stipulated 96 hrs will not be allowed to board in the first place. On arrival the passengers’ temperature should not exceed 37.5 degrees and not display any Covid-19 related signs,” Macharia said.
