Kenya Embassy to Evacuate Its Citizens From China at Their Own Cost Amid Rising Racial Tension
by Dana Givens

April 20, 2020

Kenya Embassy to Evacuate Its Citizens From China at Their Own Cost Amid Rising Racial Tension

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused a massive economic and cultural shift across the world. In China, which is where the novel coronavirus is believed to have infected the first human, some restrictions are starting to be relaxed. However, in fear of a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak, Chinese establishments have been targeting African migrants and African American tourists.

Africans have been refused entry to establishments and are being evicted from hotels and their homes by landlords.  The treatment has caused intense scrutiny online with many calling for action against China. Last week, it was reported that Ugandan politician and musician Bobi Wine teamed with the co-founder of Atlanta Black Star, Neil Nelson, to airlift Africans and African Americans being subjected to inhumane treatment in China. And now, Kenya has stepped forward to evacuate its citizens from China due to the rising tension.

According to the notice issued by officials at the Kenyan Embassy in Beijing, the government told Kenyans in China to be ready to buy a ticket out of China and to send their information via its online platform to be helped out of the country through Guangzhou. “This situation has been extremely worrisome to all of us. The reality is that this has been a very unfortunate outcome. “Africans, Kenyans included, have been discriminated against in the process of [Guangdong provincial] government’s response to mop up the situation that they are facing there, post-crisis,” Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau told a media briefing on Tuesday.

The notice continued on to mention that Kenyans will be evacuated as long as they can pay their own ticket, adding that those Kenyans will have to prove they are free of the coronavirus disease and they will have to be certified by Chinese medical authorities. Once they arrive in the country, they will be forced into quarantine for 14 days upon landing in Nairobi.

“If you are ready to travel under these conditions, fill the above QR code so that the bio-data reaches the Kenyan Embassy immediately, “said the notice.

Some feel that the gesture is not enough with Kenyan politician Moses Wetang’ula going on Twitter demanding that the government do more to help its citizens through this crisis.


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