The government will evacuate more than 7,000 Kenyans stuck in Lebanon by sea following hiccups faced in evacuating them through air transport due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced that the air evacuation exercise has been slow due to high demand in the war-torn country, which is impeded by the exercise's efforts.
“We can’t estimate the cost of the exercise or how long it’s going to take, but we are seeking other means to ensure that we bring all the Kenyans home.”
“We are foreseeing a situation where Kenyans in Lebanon maybe evacuated by sea to another nearby peaceful country then they will later be evacuated by air.”
The Prime Cabinet Secretary attributed the delays in evacuations to the stringent clearance requirements from Lebanese authorities and limited flight option with only one airline operating flights to Beirut.
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Further, he revealed that out of the 26,000 Kenyans estimated to be in Lebanon, 7,119 have registered and are seeking evacuation.
“Initially the registering was very slow, but as the war rages on, we have seen an increase in the numbers, and we expect that they will rise even further.”
A multi-agency team formed by joint officials of the Kuwait Embassy has been dispatched to assist the Honorary Consul in coordinating the activities.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu disclosed that only 35 Kenyans have been repatriated home from Lebanon so far, with another batch expected over the weekend.
“We are experiencing lots of challenges because of the war, so they are coming in in batches of 5, or 7 depending on the availability of space,” PS Njogu said.
The government had set aside Kes 100 million to evacuate Kenyans stranded in Lebanon following escalating tensions in the Middle East.
