State: Kenyans safe in Burundi
What you need to know:
- Foreign Affairs and International Trade Permanent Secretary Karanja Kibicho Sataurday told the Sunday Nation that his office had so far not received any distress call from Kenyans living in Burundi.
- At least ten people have been killed and thousands have fled to neighbouring Rwanda since the protests broke out in Burundi.
- He said: “I was there on Friday. There is tension but it is not out of hand. I met with Kenyans living there and I have assured them we will be on hand.
Kenya says none of its nationals in Burundi is in danger from the chaos that has been ongoing in the East African country since last Sunday.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Permanent Secretary Karanja Kibicho Saturday told the Sunday Nation that his office had so far not received any distress call from Kenyans living in Burundi.
He said: “I was there on Friday. There is tension but it is not out of hand. I met with Kenyans living there and I have assured them we will be on hand.
“There are a lot of hotspots like in any other election, people have protested against the decision of President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term but it is not that the whole of Burundi is protesting”.
An estimated 3,000 Kenyans live in Burundi.
Earlier this week, Britain issued updated travel advisories on the East African country.
“The Foreign and Commonwealth Office now advise against all but essential travel to Burundi, and against all travel to some parts of the country,” says an updated advice posted on the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website on Wednesday.
“If you’re already in Burundi and you don’t have an essential reason to remain, you should leave now by commercial means. If you do remain in Burundi, you should restrict your movements to essential travel only.” Australia issued similar advice.
KILLED
At least ten people have been killed and thousands have fled to neighbouring Rwanda since the protests broke out in Burundi, a day after the ruling party, the National Centre for the Defence of Democracy – Forces for the Defence of Democracy nominated Mr Nkurunziza as its candidate for the election on June 26. Security agencies then arrested about 600 protesters, most of them university students and human rights activists, and shut down an influential radio station: Africa Public Radio.
On Friday, Dr Kibicho travelled to Bujumbura where the Kenyan government donated 150 laptops and $6,000 (Sh569,000) to the Burundi National Electoral Commission.
He said that Kenya would only ask for free and fair elections.
Kenya is the only country in the East African Community that has commented on the chaos in Burundi.
On Wednesday, former Trade Minister and now head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Mukhisa Kituyi, criticised the EAC for looking the other way.
“Leaders of East African Community must take a common position on the unfolding crisis in Burundi informed by the EAC governance protocol,” he wrote on Twitter.
On Friday, the African Union sent a team of envoys to Burundi to help “defuse current tension” but said little on whether it would will urge Mr Nkurunziza to retire.
