The government has cleared the air regarding the high number of Asians that have been arriving in the country via the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Speaking during an interview, the government’s spokesperson Cyrus Oguna said that the foreigners are just tourists and have legal documents to be in the country.
“They are tourists in the country legally and some prefer travelling and staying as families,” Oguna said.
The visitors started landing in JKIA several weeks ago raising suspicions among Kenyans with many of them questioning about their mission in the country.
Videos of the tourists arriving in the country caused a buzz online with some netizens claiming that they were refugees who are fleeing from the Talibans in Afghanistan.
Others claimed that the Asians are casual laborers on transit to Saudi Arabia and had been left stranded in Nairobi and Machakos County after being hit by the shock of high hotel bills.
The speculations came as a result of Saudi Arabia barring travelers from Asia due to the Covid-19 pandemic and they have to go through a country that is exempted.
Asked about the tourists roaming in estates, Oguna said going forward, all the visitors will be required to quarantine in hotels and other designated facilities.
Once they land, they are picked up and shuttled by City Hoppa and City Shuttle buses to different destinations. A week ago, more than 100 of them were taken to Syokimau, where they sought affordable accomodation, after spending a fortune paying expensive bills at city hotels for weeks.
This comes barely 2 months after Uganda received refugees from Afghanistan following a request from the Unites States.
At the time Oguna said US had not requested Kenya to host refugees but he said the government would consider the proposal if contacted.
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