Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi (second right), Principal Secretaries Roseline Njogu (right) and Korir Sing'oei (second left) when they appeared before the National Assembly Defence Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi, on October 17, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]
More than 7,000 Kenyans are stranded in Lebanon as hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalate causing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi noted that out of the estimated 26,000 Kenyans in Lebanon only 7,119 have registered to be evacuated.
"Initially the registration was slow, but we have seen an increase in the numbers, and we expect that they will rise even further," said Mudavadi when he appeared before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Defense Intelligence and Foreign Relations.
So far only 35 Kenyans have been evacuated from Lebanon with Mudavadi saying they are expecting another batch at the weekend, following months of calls to Kenyans to voluntarily register if they wish to be evacuated.
"We are experiencing lots of challenges because of the war, so they are coming in batches of five or seven depending on the availability of flight space," he said.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary told the committee that the evacuation process has been slow and cumbersome due to stringent clearance requirements from the Lebanese authorities and limited flight options, with only one airline currently operating flights into Beirut.
“To expedite this process, a multi-agency team from Kenya joined by officials from our Embassy in Kuwait has been dispatched to assist the Honorary Consul to coordinate the activities,” said the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS.
“We are requesting Kenyans to quickly register so that they can be assisted to get back to Kenya away from the conflict zone,” he said.
However, Mudavadi revealed that there have been challenges in getting travel documents for the Kenyans and special arrangements are being made to help them return back home.
“So far there's indication that about a million people have now been displaced and almost 1,873 deaths,” said the CS adding that no Kenyan casualty has been reported.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary however decried the reluctance among Kenyans in registering for evacuation saying this has slowed down the evacuation process.
“It's only after the war or the conflict has escalated that we see an avalanche of Kenyans now rushing to register,” said Mudavadi.
“Initially we had just about 1,000 or so who had registered, but as we speak now, we have seen a sudden surge to about 7,000 now reporting, to say that they want help to get out, but they were silent initially,” he added.
Mudavadi regretted that Kenyans still find ways to travel to Lebanon and other conflict areas, despite several warnings.
He advised Kenyans in southern Lebanon to relocate to the northern region, where it is relatively safe.
“The government is also aware of the potential for a larger conflict in the Middle East and has requested all Kenyan ambassadors in the region to conduct a swift registration exercise of Kenyans in their jurisdiction,” said Mudavadi.
“This initiative aims to ascertain the number of Kenyans in these countries because many do not go through regular channels and they do not register with our nearest mission as required,” he added.
While warning Kenyans from traveling to conflict zones, Mudavadi said they are working on plans for mass evacuation to a safer area before flying them home.
“We have released some special support staff to go and help in processing these Kenyans as they face the challenges in Lebanon,” said Mudavadi.
"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," he added
The Prime Cabinet Secretary said the Lebanese government has opened 835 safe shelters spread across Beirut, where most of the Kenyans are now sheltered.
The crisis comes amidst a clarion call by the Kenya Kwanza Administration for Kenyans to seek employment abroad with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu noting that more than 180,000 Kenyans have so far sought employment opportunities out of the country.