State did well in evacuating Kenyans stranded abroad

The Covid-19 crisis has thrown up all sorts of challenges for our country and especially our government.

The economy is badly hit and industries like tourism, trade and manufacturing are suffering as a result of the virus.

One would think that helping to repatriate Kenyans from abroad would not be high up on the government's priorities.

The government commissioned “Mercy Flights” to bring home Kenyans who were stranded abroad home to join their loved ones. So far, a number of Kenyans living abroad have succumbed to Covid-19 which has left several others infected.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ten of those who had succumbed to the disease were in the United States, four in the United Kingdom, two in Switzerland, one in Saudi Arabia and another in Sweden.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to distress calls of Kenyans in several parts of the world and in collaboration with various foreign governments and airlines has facilitated return of hundreds of Kenyans stranded in several countries,” said the ministry in a statement.

While some might complain about the cost of such flights, it speaks to the the government's agenda – ‘No Kenyan Left Behind’.

The government has attempted to raise the quality of life of every Kenyan. Many Kenyans are connected to the electricity grid.

A 2018 paper on the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals stated that some countries conceptualise the principle of “Leaving no one behind”, the slogan for the UN Agenda 2030, in the national context, giving it a particular meaning.

It stated that Kenya has established an institutional focal point with “control tower” functions to ensure alignment of policies, plans, programmes, and recommendations to make sure policies contribute to the goal of reducing asymmetries related to age, ethnic, territorial, and other characteristics, and monitor progress and emphasises social protection programmes and as a strategy to implement ‘Leaving no one behind’ but also the important role of decentralisation.

Let these ‘Mercy Flights’ demonstrate that Kenya has a leader who is dedicated to each and every one of his people.

JACKTONE ADEMBA, HOMA BAY