Covid-19: 23 Kenyans Have Died Abroad With 191 Infected

The number of Kenyans who have succumbed to Covid-19 has reached 23 with 191 testing positive according to a report by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry revealed that ten of the Kenyans who died abroad were from the United States, while four were from the United Kingdom, two in Switzerland, one in Saudi Arabia and one died in Sweden.

This report came at a time when the ministry of Foreign affairs in conjunction with foreign governments and some airlines are collaborating to ensure citizens stranded abroad are evacuated but at their own costs.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to distress calls of Kenyans in several parts of the world and in collaboration with various foreign governments and airlines has facilitated the return of hundreds of Kenyans stranded in several countries,” announced the Ministry.

So far, the Government has managed to evacuate Kenyans stranded in India, China, London, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Egypt.

The latest Kenyans to be evacuated were from India who the Ministry said were stranded as they went to seek treatment in the country. They were also accompanied by their caregivers.

One person from India died at the airport before boarding the plane with reports revealing that he was ailing prior to the evacuation exercise.

165 Kenyans were evacuated from China and according to the Ministry, most of them had lost their jobs due to the lockdowns in the Asian country.

“The majority of this group are Kenyans impacted by the coronavirus in terms of job losses, students who have completed their studies, business people caught in the lockdown, and Kenyans caught on the wrong side of the law in China.”

The repatriates said they were forced to pay for testing costs while in the foreign country as well as the flight tickets which were a bit higher than usual thus any additional bills could leave them bankrupt.

“When the plane touched down at JKIA, we celebrated. I cried. It had never felt so good to return home. We come back bearing shame because we are jobless and have so much debt, but we are free,” said one of the returnees.

The Returnees have been taken to respective quarantine facilities with an assurance from the Government that their bills will be sorted.