Kenya seeks Sh120 million for citizens stranded abroad

The government is seeking Sh120 million to evacuate Kenyans stranded in Thailand, Lebanon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This comes as the Diaspora Affairs Ministry struggles with financial shortfalls.

The National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs Committee has raised concerns that the Treasury has not allocated additional funds for evacuation efforts in the Supplementary Budget II.

Nelson Koech, the committee’s chairperson, urged the Liaison Committee, led by Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss, to include the funds in the 2024/25 budget.

“The additional funding is to cater for repatriation and evacuation of Kenyans in distress from Lebanon, Thailand, and DRC,” Koech stated.

The Treasury initially allocated Sh637.83 million to the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, but this amount was later cut to Sh633.7 million.

Koech warned that continuous budget reductions have weakened the ministry’s ability to assist Kenyans facing emergencies abroad.

The crisis comes as Kenya grapples with evacuations from multiple regions affected by war, employer mistreatment, and human trafficking.

The government had previously set aside Sh100 million to evacuate Kenyans from Lebanon after the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated.

At the time, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi estimated that approximately 26,000 Kenyans were in Lebanon, making full evacuation a massive challenge.

In the DRC, violence involving government forces and armed groups such as M23 has left many Kenyans in danger.

A Kenyan female truck driver was held captive for 150 days amid the ongoing clashes.

In February 2025, Mudavadi announced that the government was considering evacuating Kenyans from the country due to the rising conflict.

The DRC government also committed to compensating Kenya for damages to its embassy in Kinshasa, which was attacked by rioters protesting the violence.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, Kenya’s embassy is working to evacuate citizens rescued from human trafficking networks in Myanmar.

Since February 12, 2025 authorities have been struggling to secure passage for 64 Kenyans who remain stuck at the Thai-Myanmar border.

A Myanmar insurgent group, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), freed thousands of foreign nationals from fraudulent online scam centers and handed them over to Thai authorities.

However, with the border closed, the fate of the victims remains uncertain.

Despite repeated calls for action, the government’s ability to assist distressed citizens abroad remains constrained by budget cuts.