At least twelve Kenyans are stranded in Afghanistan, and only three have been evacuated so far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
In a statement dated August 19, the Ministry said three had managed to leave the troubled nation. One arrived in the country on Wednesday, while two others are expected to land today evening.
Government further established that its citizens were working for international organizations in Afghanistan, as it promised to work round-the clock to evacuate them.
“Through diplomatic channels, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to the concerned organizations with a clear request to evacuate stranded Kenyans as a matter of urgency,” the ministry said.
Kenya has no diplomatic relations nor accreditation in Afghanistan, but has reached out to its allies closer to the Middle-East nation, to gather more information on any of its citizens stranded therein.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Kenya High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan which is the nearest Mission to Afghanistan has reached out to our allies to get information of any stranded Kenyans and prospects of evacuation,” it added.
Earlier in the week, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Amb Macharia Kamau told local media that Kenyans working in Afghanistan will be evacuated by their employers.
“The country has been unstable for a long while and we do not expect Kenyans to have gone to this country,” he said in an interview with Daily Nation.
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan, capturing major cities and occupying the presidential palace. President Ashraf Ghani fled from the country as the Islamists entered Kabul virtually unopposed, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed.
Thousands are still fleeing the capital Kabul, and several Western nations evacuating their citizens.
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