Kenya tells nationals stuck in Lebanon to register for evacuation

Kenya says its nationals in Lebanon are not registering for evacuation despite calls to do so.

The Department of Diaspora Affairs on Wednesday, October 2, said it was still not yet receiving applicants, even though some Kenyans directly appealed to the media for help, claiming they had been locked inside by their employers who fled.

Lebanon has been under a hail of fire from Israeli forces hunting down Lebanese militants Hezbollah for the past two weeks. But Kenya says it notified its nationals long before this war began, and as soon as there were signs that the conflict could spread from Gaza to Lebanon.

“We have 26,000 Kenyans in Lebanon, and we have evacuated less than 100 individuals in two batches. As of this morning, around 3,500 Kenyans had registered for evacuation, an increase from the 3,000 reported earlier,” Roseline Njogu, the Principal Secretary for Diaspora told Nation.Africa on Wednesday.

“This number is expected to increase further with the ongoing efforts. It's important to note that evacuation remains a voluntary process; no tenant is forced to leave, and they retain the freedom to stay if they wish. We are deeply concerned that a large number of Kenyans in Lebanon have not yet registered for evacuation despite our repeated calls, we register for various reasons.

“We want to know who actually is within this jurisdiction.  Kenyans have not always registered themselves with the nearest embassy, but though there is an obligation Kenyans don't always do that or they don't update their information,” she said.

Kenya intends to close the registration for evacuation by October 12 and said those who wouldn’t have filed their names will be left out. Chances are that those Kenyans who claimed they couldn’t get out of their homes will not be assisted, even though they had said their area was among those being bombarded by Israeli forces.

“We’ve set a deadline due to the volatile nature of the situation, as we cannot predict how long we will be able to maintain operations or keep flights running. For instance, we are uncertain how long certain evacuation corridors will remain open. The deadline is necessary because, after a certain point, we cannot guarantee that the conditions will still allow for a safe evacuation,” she said.

Nairobi had normally not planned to evacuate but decided to do so after the situation in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon became dire and commercial aircraft limited their schedules. 

“As the situation in Lebanon escalates, we urge all Kenyans in Lebanon to immediately register with us. 

“Only registered Kenyans will be eligible for evacuation," the statement read. Any Kenyan who wishes to be evacuated must ensure that their registration is completed before this date.  Register using the following link: https://www.diaspora.go.ke/lebanon.html, or contact us on the following numbers for communication and coordination: +96590906719, +96171175006, +254114757002,” read the statement.

“We will rescue as many Kenyans as need be, even if it means it is the 26,000 of them, then we will do that. We are looking for different means because now it’s only one airline,” she said.

These figures have been circulating since July. But at the time, Lebanon was not under direct attack from Israeli forces, who were then pounding the Gaza Strip to hunt down Hamas militants.

But the situation escalated when Israel targeted Hezbollah, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday and provoking Iran, which fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday night. Israel has since vowed to retaliate.

Nairobi, meanwhile, says it has already successfully evacuated two groups of Kenyans from Lebanon and is committed to continuing the effort until all citizens in need are safely evacuated. 

In multiple interviews with Nation.Africa last week, some Kenyan domestic workers in Lebanon expressed frustration about the lack of action after filling out repatriation forms since June.

“We were sent a link to fill out for evacuation back in July, and still, nothing has happened. Months have passed, and it feels like we've been forgotten. 

“No updates, no news—just silence. It’s like we’re invisible. How can they send us a link and then leave us here, stranded and scared? Nobody is saying anything, and it makes me feel so abandoned. Some girls are still arriving here, completely unaware of what they’re walking into. How is that even possible? How can they let people come into a war zone without warning?” said Alice Kalekye, who works as a care giver in Beirut.

The workers described the harrowing reality of living in a war zone, with the sounds of bombs and gunfire becoming a constant backdrop. While other countries evacuate their citizens, they feel abandoned, pleading for their own government to step in and assist them.

“I’m traumatised. I can’t sleep, I have no appetite, and every day feels harder than the last. We've tried to contact the agents back home to ask for help, but they've pushed us back to the agents here in Lebanon. 

“These agents demand $200 just to let us leave. Some of us have food, but many don’t. Some are starving, with no access to anything,” said Vionah Kerubo a domestic servant in Lebanon.