Pressure mounts on government to evacuate Kenyans stranded in China

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi yesterday piled pressure on the government to evacuate Kenyans who are stranded in China.

In a statement, Mr Mudavadi (above) said it was worrying that the government was doing little to protect its citizens against racial discrimination in a foreign land.

He made the demands against the backdrop of reports that individuals of African origin were being ejected from their residential houses over Covid-19 infection fears.

Several Kenyans in China have reportedly been forced to sleep in the cold after being forcefully ejected from their houses.

Government silent

“In the wake of this deadly virus, we have seen some foreign countries send aircraft to evacuate their citizens from our country and from other African countries. Our own government seems to be silent on this,” said Mudavadi.

“We need to know what plans, if any, our government has to evacuate Kenyans – especially those in hardship circumstances in places like China.”

The former deputy premier said he had seen very disturbing images of Kenyans and other people of African origin in distress in China.

“It is emerging that their fate hangs dangerously in the balance in these troubled times of the coronavirus disease, in faraway places, where some of them are being subjected to inhuman and wicked treatment,” said Mudavadi.

He called on both Nairobi and Beijing to come out clearly on what is happening to Kenyans in China against reports of a second wave of coronavirus infections in the country that was the origin of the viral disease.

But last Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Kenya denied claims that Kenyans are been discriminated against in Guangzhou and Beijing.

Ambassador Wu Peng said the embassy has been trying to find out the truth about the viral videos and photos showing individuals of African origin facing discrimination.

But Mudavadi yesterday said despite the denials, it is evident that China and its citizens have embraced a discriminatory policy against Africans.

He said victims were undergoing difficult times as they cannot leave China to get back home over international travel bans.

He said the fate of the Kenyans squarely lies with the government, which he said should act as a matter of urgency. 

At the same time, Mudavadi lauded the government for directing that all private donations to cushion the vulnerable be channeled through State organs.

He said the Mudavadi Memorial Foundation had quietly made donations to support individuals whose sources of livelihood have been shattered by the viral disease.