Only 35 Kenyans evacuated from Lebanon amid conflict

The government has evacuated just 35 Kenyans from Lebanon amid a severe humanitarian crisis triggered by the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced on Thursday, October 17, that some 7,119 Kenyans have registered with the Kenyan embassy, seeking repatriation.

"This follows months of sustained calls for Kenyans in Lebanon to voluntarily register for evacuation," said Mudavadi.

The Foreign Affairs CS further explained that the evacuation process has been delayed due to limited flight availability, noting that only one airline is currently operating flights into Beirut.

"We expect the fourth and fifth groups of evacuated Kenyans to arrive in Kenya this weekend. The process has been slow and cumbersome due to stringent clearance requirements from the Lebanese authorities," he added.

The Ministry says it has deployed a multi-agency team from Kenya, working alongside officials from the Kenyan Embassy in Kuwait to coordinate the evacuation efforts.

The CS also urged Kenyans to avoid traveling to conflict zones and criticized those who travel to Kuwait without following proper channels and fail to register with the embassy.

At the beginning of this month, Kenyans stranded in Lebanon were urged to register with the embassy for evacuation, by October 12.

Diaspora Affairs PS Roseline Njogu at the time diverged that two groups had already been evacuated, although she did not immediately give an exact figure.

Mudavadi told a Senate Committee previously that there are 26,000 Kenyans stuck in Lebanon.