30 Kenyans living in the diaspora have died from the novel COVID-19, Foreign Affairs CS Raychelle Omamo has said.
They are among the 193 cases reported outside Kenya, she told an Adhoc Committee on Covid-19 pandemic chaired by Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja.
According to the CS, “88 cases are still active, 4 are in Intensive Care Unit while another 71 have recovered from the disease.”
Further, she told the senators, the ministry has set up an emergency committee chaired by CAS Ababu Namwamba to monitor the situation in the diaspora.
So far, CS Omamo said, the government has facilitated the evacuation of 744 Kenyans from various countries.
70 from Sudan, 7 from Dubai, 21 from Pakistan, 165 from China, 135 from UAE and others are from Britain.
The situation was dire in India, she said, so the state helped 233 Kenyans travel back home.
Asked about the situation over in Wuhan, China especially about the students who are still stuck there, she said the government has provided a stipend for the learners.
“On evacuation, our role was to facilitate them, that is, you look for an airline, you pay your ticket, and then we arrange for you to come home,” she continued.
Omamo also told the Sakaja-led committee that the state is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation in the refugee camps.
“The government has issued restrictions on moving in and out of Daadab camp and up to today no case have been reported.”
Two weeks ago, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i placed on partial lockdown Daadab and Kakuma refugee camps.
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau encouraged Kenyans in foreign countries to shelve travel plans if there was no urgent need to come back home.
“Many Kenyans around the world are recognising that they stay where they, that they are best advised to remain where they are domiciled, ” he said.
Kamau noted that for instance, when Kenyans in China were presented with the opportunity to travel home, only 169 expressed interest.
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