ICRC sacks racist foreigner who insulted guards at Nairobi mall
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has sacked a foreigner who is accused of racially abusing Kenyan security guards in a Nairobi Mall.
The foreign employee allegedly racially profiled and insulted security guards stationed at Lavington Mall in Nairobi on Sunday and referred a woman who tried to calm him down as a ‘monkey’, according to witnesses.
Pressure mounted after the Secretary of Innovation, Digital and Diaspora Communication in the office of the president, Dennis Itumbi, through his Twitter account called for action.
Dear @IFRCAfrica @ifrc – this gentleman a few minutes ago, was Insulting guards at Nairobi’s Lavington Mall. A concerned lady whose only interest was to protect the good name of your organization tried to calm him down and he dismissed her as a F*** Monkey. Racism and IFRC? #KOT pic.twitter.com/qV6gkDEVdN
— Dennis Itumbi, HSC (@OleItumbi) October 6, 2019
In a statement on Monday, ICRC’s Nairobi Chapter announced it had terminated the employment of the foreign national following the incident.
“As of this evening, the person’s assignment in Kenya has been terminated. We want to again apologize for the disturbance and to anyone who was insulted,” the statement read in part.
The organization further said the decision was made after it met witnesses as part of investigations into the incident that was first reported on Twitter by a user identified as Yebeltal Gatachew.
“We appreciate those who came forward and reported the incident, especially those who made time to meet with our team,” read the statement.
RACISM
“We never want to lose the confidence that has been given to us to carry out our humanitarian work, not just in Kenya, but within the region,” ICRC further said.
On Sunday, ICRC responded by confirming that the man who was posted by Itumbi was indeed their employee and that necessary action will be taken after investigations are complete.
“We confirm that this is our staff and vehicle. We do not condone insulting behavior and racism by our staff. We are investigating the matter and will take the necessary action. Apologies to those involved,” responded the ICRC
Liu Jiaqi was arrested, his work permit cancelled, then deported and a photo of him being searched at the airport shared by the immigration department.
The Chinese embassy in Kenya however reacted by saying that Liu Jiaqi’s sentiments did not represent the opinion of other Chinese people.