Mission to sneak out British students

The British students at the centre of the swine flu debate left as discretely as they had arrived — well, almost.

At least six, who had been quarantined at a Kisumu hotel after one of their colleagues tested positive for swine flu have left the country.

The group, part of a larger team of 34 students, from whom the first case of the H1N1 virus in Kenya was reported, were reportedly sneaked out in a discreet operation by government officials.

Secret mission

The Nation learnt that authorities in the secret mission ferried them in small batches to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, to avoid suspicion from fellow travellers. The six, all female, checked into the airport at 8am and departed shortly before midday. The rest were scheduled to jet out later in the day or today morning.

The students from the University of Nottingham College of Medicine in the UK were in Kisumu for 11 days on a volunteer mission.

They had visited a primary school and a rehabilitation centre for street children in Kisumu before one was positively diagnosed, becoming the first case of the virus to be recorded in Kenya.

Ministry of Health officials carried extensive tests on the students, who were residing at the Duke of Breeze hotel. Their condition was found to be stable.

On Sunday, sources at the airport told the Nation it was impossible for “those not in the know” to identify the students; they were brought into the airport “just like any other tourists”.

The source who preferred anonymity went on: “They were brought discreetly, either one or two at a time.”

Head of health at JKIA Philip Dania confirmed that the six had left the country but said: “We have not sneaked any of the students out... There’s nothing like that. Whatever we are doing about the disease, we are doing it publicly.”

Dr Dania added: “This is a national health issue that has elicited a lot of concern from Kenyans. We cannot hide anything from Kenyans.”

Nation photojournalist William Oeri, who had camped at the airport all night, said he was denied access into the international departure terminal to take pictures. “Law enforcers asked me what I was doing there. They wanted me out of the vicinity,” Mr Oeri said.

They said they were under strict instructions not to allow journalists in.

Just as their departure from the country was discreet, their exit from Kisumu was equally so.

The students left the Duke of Breeze hotel through a back gate under tight security led by a highway patrol chase car. The 8pm incident did not puzzle everyone though.

“There was every indication that the isolated students were set to begin their journey,” Mr John Ouma, a cyclist who operates near the hotel, said.

Three shuttle buses were seen entering the hotel through a back gate on Saturday evening, manned by youth who made constant phone calls. At 8.15pm, the shuttles left, with the students aboard.

Just before the Kisumu-Kericho road, two armed police officers got out of their car to block traffic from either way to let the convoy into the road from a junction.

Ten kilometres later, at Masogo junction, they were caught in a traffic snarl-up as a result of a road accident there. The policemen struggled to clear the way for the shuttles through a 200-metre jam. Then they sped off into the darkness.

The transfer of the students from Kisumu was coordinated by Dr Joshua Odongo of Widows and Orphans International (UK) who said they were concerned at the attention the students had generated and only wanted them back to their country.

Mr Odongo said the students had come to the country through UK-based Kenya Orphan Project and hoped they would continue to support the vulnerable.