Any Kenyan stuck in China and wishes to return to Kenya is now required to pay Sh80,000 for a flight ticket directly to Kenya Airways, Kenya’s Ambassador to China Sarah Serem says.
Serem said that the Kenya Embassy in China has opened a window for all Kenyans living in China and wish to return to Kenya to register by May 1, 2020. They must have a valid Kenyan passport and comply with Chinese laws of exit.
In a statement, she stated that this is not “an evacuation” by the Kenyan government.
“This is not an evacuation. The government of Kenya is only facilitating those who are willing to meet the cost of the ticket,” she said.
Kenyan Airways has provided a platform to book the tickets for the flight.
She, however, denied that there was any Kenyan who was harassed by Chinese authorities as reports have been doing rounds.
She explained that those who were evicted were among 400 Kenyans living in China illegally who have lost their means of earning since a lockdown was imposed.
Serem maintained that Chinese authorities implemented elaborate measures to fight coronavirus in the Southern city of Guangzhou where some undocumented Kenyans missed out and were forced to the streets.
Some of the measures instituted were issuance of QR Codes on health status, special residence passes, and medical certificates to all documented immigrants.
For the illegal immigrants, Serem said “Some of these have faced rent issues and where the Embassy has been alerted, intervention with local authorities has been made,” she expounded.
“Any behaviour that goes contrary to this is met with the full force of Chinese law.”
However, she said she the Kenyan Embassy has engaged the Chinese government to be lenient with Kenyans found to have contravened immigration laws.
She cited a discrimination case where two Kenyan students were forced into quarantine while another of their housemate, of European descent, was spared.
“Intervention led to all the three being quarantined in their apartment. There are several cases of threatened evictions which the Embassy intervened and helped resolve in conjunction with the local authorities,” Serem averred.
With no jobs, eight Kenyans who are among those stuck in China launched an online campaign to raise funds to purchase a ticket back in the country.
