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Three Kenyans evacuated from Kabul, nine others wait
What you need to know:
- The ministry said it has written to the organisations requesting that they evacuate the stranded Kenyans as a matter of urgency.
Three Kenyans are stranded in Kabul, Afghanistan while 52 others have been evacuated to the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan following the takeover of the city by the Taliban, an update from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.
“The Kenyan Embassy in Beijing has reached out to more Kenyans and established that 12 Kenyans who have been working for private contractors were evacuated to Birmingham in the UK on Wednesday August 18. Another group of 40 was evacuated to Kazakhstan late last night,” an update from the ministry noted.
Earlier, the ministry had confirmed that one Kenyan who was safely evacuated arrived in the country on Wednesday and that two others will be jetting in later tonight (Thursday).
The ministry reiterated that efforts by Kenyan missions to intervene and have Kenyans stranded in Kabul evacuated to safety by the companies they work for are being treated as a matter of urgency.
“Kenyan missions in the region continue to reach out to Kenyans employed in the security sector and others engaged by private companies who are yet to be evacuated by their employees,” added the statement.
No diplomatic presence
The government notes that Kenyans working and living in Kabul are either employed in the security sector, private companies or international organisations as Kenya has no diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
The Kenyans are employed by the Swedish Committee (2), Supreme Audi Office-World Bank (2), International Rescue Committee (1), International Development Law Organisation (1), Danish Committee for Aid to Afghanistan Refugees (1), MEDAIR (1), Action Contre La Faim (2), Handicap International (1) and Intersos (1).
The government’s response followed uproar that followed their Monday indication that they had given primary responsibility for evacuation to employers of Kenyans who had been stationed in the Central Asian country.