100 pilgrims leave for Hajj in Saudi Arabia

By Athman Amran

The first batch of Kenyan pilgrims left for Saudi Arabia for Hajj ritual last Saturday.

The ceremony is to be performed at the end of this month.

According to the Kenya Hajj Mission (KHM) Vice-Chairman Sheikh Shariff Hussein, the first batch comprised 100 people. They departed from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on a Saudi Arabian Airline plane.

"The second batch of 178 pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia tomorrow (today)," Hussein told The Standard on Monday.

Some officials from the Royal Saudi Embassy in Kenya are expected to see off the pilgrims today. The next flight would be on November 14, 18 and 21.

Pilgrims are expected to get a jab of influenza vaccine, as Kenya is yet to acquire the swine flu vaccine, Hussein said.

Hussein, however, regretted the removal of the Hajj desk at Immigration offices, arguing it made getting passports for pilgrims difficult.

He said the desk was removed after the Ministry of Immigration and Registration of Persons discovered that some people travelled to the US or other countries after getting the passports.

Long queues

"From next year, those who intend to get passports for Hajj have to produce a letter from any of the 35 Hajj agents before getting a clearance from the mission," Hussein said.

A pilgrim, Ahmed Bahaidar said if it were not for Saudi embassy making it easier to get visas, the removal of the desk could have made some pilgrims miss their flight.

"The Saudi Embassy has introduced the system of visa application through e-mail, doing away with long queues at embassy," Bahaidar said.

A pilgrim who will be performing Hajj for the seventh time, Swaleh Abu, said the journey had challenges.

The main challenge, he says, is the massive attendance of between two to four million people from all over the world.

He, however, said the spot where deaths have occurred previously due to stampedes, the Jamarat, is now safe.

This year 3000 Kenyan Muslims are expected to perform Hajj.

 

 

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