The government has expressed concern over how Kenyans have been left stranded as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc.
The government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said its staff have been overwhelmed by the number of distress calls from Kenyans abroad.
Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau said the fact that many countries are either on partial or full lockdown has made the situation worse as embassies are not in operations.
He said ambassadors have been forced to strain the few staff working from home to try reach out on those in dire need but the situation is not getting better.
The PS said they have noted that majority of these citizens have lost their jobs, while others have been sent on compulsory unpaid leave.
The impact of this pandemic has been staggering and disrupted work. Millions of jobs have been lost and this has not spared our diaspora community. Many of them have run out of cash because they did not anticipate the situation
Kamau said as a result, many countries have ceased facilitation of international travel making it even harder for the government to evacuate them.
“We find ourselves uniquely challenged in responding to distress calls from our diaspora in over the 140 countries we have a foot print. Our embassies are only in 54 countries and out staff are overwhelmed,” he said.
He said those in the US, Canada and Middle East are the worst affected.
Kamau said those in European countries like Italy, Spain, France and UK have also been severely affected.
“A significant number of them have lost jobs and as a government this is a worrisome situation to us,” he said.
The PS said Saudi Arabia and several other governments have expressed a willingness to support those affected until the situation normalizes.
This he said includes an assurance that those affected will not be evicted from their premises and thrown out to the streets.
We have been in purposeful engagements with all governments across the world. We have written to them asking them to look after Kenyans just as we look after the international community here in Nairobi to ensure no harm befalls on them
PS Foreign Affairs Macharia Kamau
He said in the letters they have indicated the need for the governments to do their best to set up systems for health care that will responds to Kenyan’s needs during this pandemic.
“This situation is going to be with us for about three to six months and therefore we must be prepared to face up to the situation. Right now there is nothing much we can do until the travel bans are lifted,” he said.
He said for instance some Kenyans including students are stranded in Spain, 21 other students are stranded in Hungary and 61 training assistants stranded in France.
We are worried about those in India. We have about 160 people stranded and due to lockdown in that country, we cannot bring them home,” he said.
According to the PS, 64 people who had gone for medication are among the 160 who have found themselves on the wrong side of the lockdown.
“The situation is worrying, some have run out of money and some sadly lost patients with whom they went for treatment and it’s tragic that they cannot bring their loved ones homes,” he noted.
He said though there are some 3,000 Kenyans in China, it was a matter of concern that about 100 Kenyans without valid travel documents were stranded.
Some other 18 Kenyans who had traveled as tourists in Australia are also stranded with Iran having over 200 students stranded.
“We are trying our best to reach out to those affected through our respective embassies and I want to assure them that we keep you in our thoughts and continue to pray for you as we seek to find a solution for the circumstances you face,” Kamau said.
It is estimated that Kenya’s diaspora population stands at three million concentrated in North America (400,000), Western Europe, Middle East (150,000), Asia and Australia (30,000) and southern Africa.
According to data by Central Bank of Kenya, diaspora remittances have risen steadily since 2013 to reach $2,790 million (Sh279 billion) in the 12 months to November 2019.
This amount was to be doubled to Sh500 billion by 2022.
In February, the diaspora remitted Sh23 billion ($218.9 million), a drop from Sh26 billion sent in January.
Diaspora remittances to Kenya are expected to fall to the lowest level this year, as consequences of the lockdown due to coronavirus take effect.
Diaspora remittances have grown to become Kenya’s largest foreign exchange earner, largely contributing to the country’s forex reserves aimed at stabilising the shilling.