State pledges to evacuate Kenyans from S Sudan

Evacuation of Kenyans from South Sudan started Saturday. This will continue every day until all Kenyans willing to leave the war torn nation are safely home, the government said.

Two Kenya Airways flights from Juba arrived in Nairobi on Saturday carrying the first batch of 200 who looked tired, weary and traumatised perhaps from the experience of being caught in the middle of the conflict.

Majority of those on board were women and children. They said thousands more Kenyans were camping at Juba International Airport adding that the KQ planes being used for the mission can only carry about 100 passengers per flight.

The first flight which landed at 2:40 pm had 104 passengers while the second one which arrived at 6pm had 96.

“If it is not for the government we would have all died because air tickets are expensive and all the roads have been closed,” said Ms Rhoda Kagendo who runs an NGO in the West Bar el Ghazal province.

Mr Evans Mwirigi, an architect in Buluk, Juba, said he hid in his house without food for one week as the war blocked all supplies from reaching the capital.

Ms Valery Awino said criminal cartels in Juba had taken advantage of the situation and were looting property owned by foreigners.

To receive them at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was Special Programmes Principal Secretary Josephta Mukobe.

She told the Sunday Nation that the evacuation exercise was voluntary. “We put an announcement and told those who want to come back home to do it at our expense,” she said.

“They are quite a number and we are not sure when the exercise will end,” she said.

Those who arrived were ferried to town using National Youth Service buses and given Sh2,000 to enable them reach home.

"The Kenya Red Cross has set up a 24 hour centre at JKIA where Kenyans can trace their loved ones. Ambulances from E-Plus are also stationed at the airport to handle any casualties," it said in a statement.