Kenyans who were stranded in China finally arrive home
One hundred and sixty five Kenyans who were stranded in China due to the Covid-19 pandemic arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday morning.
The Kenyans landed at 2:45am in a chartered Kenya Airways flight from Guangzhou, China after leaving Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 8:27pm on Saturday.
FRUITFUL ENGAGEMENT
Kenya’s ambassador to China, Sarah Serem, saw off the travelling Kenyans.
“KQ883 from Guangzhou, China is now back home. It’s always a pleasure to be of service to our country and our fellow Kenyans. Karibuni Nyumbani,” Kenya Airways said in a tweet.
Ambassador Serem said the Kenyan embassy and Chinese authorities helped passengers with verification of travel documents and reissue of lost or expired travel papers.
She and her team temporarily relocated to Guangzhou from Beijing in order to offer real-time support and ensure that all the passengers have been issued the necessary travel documents.
“I have also had very fruitful engagements with the Guangdong Administration, met the Governor and Deputy Governor, as well as the Mayor of Guangzhou. We continue to work closely together as we address the interests of our people and for the mutual benefit of the two governments,” Serem said on Twitter.
DISCRIMINATION
Last month, Kenya rebuked China over coronavirus-related discrimination against its citizens in Guangzhou province while noting that no Kenyans there had died from Covid-19.
Kenyans living in China had posted videos on social media depicting racial discrimination against them and other Africans as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
There were also reports of Africans being evicted from apartments and being turned away from hotels despite having no recent travel history or known contact with Covid-19 patients.
Before the first case, Kenya had on March 3 suspended flights from northern Italy with passengers arriving from South Korea and Iran ordered to self-quarantine for 14 days.
However, the government stopped all international flights from March 25 after the country confirmed more cases