Government faces rising costs in rescuing Kenyans stranded abroad

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi before the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on April 2, 2026. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The Kenyan government is grappling with increasing financial pressure to rescue and repatriate citizens stranded in conflict zones and foreign detention centres.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi told senators on Thursday that emergency interventions rely entirely on taxpayer funding approved by Parliament.