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Govt Yet To Evacuate Kenyans From Israel
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu Thursday said that Kenyans living in the war-ravaged countries of Israel and Palestine are safe.
Speaking to local media, Ms Njogu said the government has made plans to evacuate Kenyans stuck in Israel and provide their safety.
“So far, the embassy has not reported any casualty involving Kenyans living in Israel. All our people have been accounted for,” said Njogu.
At least 500 Kenyans are lawfully registered to be living in Israel, PS Njogu said. She, however, said there could be more unregistered citizens in the country.
“Government agencies, together with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, are monitoring the situation and keeping in touch with the team at the embassy (in Tel Aviv). We are working on plans for evacuation,” she said.
The PS advised Kenyans who have kin stuck in Israel to contact the Kenyan embassy through emergency contacts +254114757002, +972549060910, and +972547075958 or by email at diaspora@mfa.go.ke
The fighting in Israel started on Saturday when the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, launched a remarkable attack on Israel.
Diaspora Kenyans to Take Charge of State Missions
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua Sunday 1 October 2023, announced a bold new initiative to hire Kenyans living abroad to work at Kenyan diplomatic missions around the world.
The move is aimed at reducing costs and optimizing resource allocation, Mutua said in a meeting with Kenyans living in Sydney, Australia.
“We will no longer be sending Kenyans for state missions,” Mutua said. “Instead, we will be allocating these assignments to Kenyans living abroad.”
Mutua said the government is also seeking to improve consular services and make it easier for Kenyans working abroad to access their documents.
“My goal is to have IDs and passports printed at our embassies and issued quickly and efficiently to deserving Kenyans,” he said.
Mutua also addressed the challenges faced by Kenyans in getting visas, nursing permits, and transmitting funds back home. He assured Kenyans that the government is working to address these issues.
Mutua also said that the government is seeking a bilateral labor agreement with Australia to allow Kenyans to emigrate as seasonal workers.
The CS’s announcement has been welcomed by Kenyans living abroad, who see it as an opportunity to contribute to their country’s development and build stronger ties with their homeland.
Kenya Kwanza & Azimio Agree On Election Servers
In a rare show of unity, Kenya Kwanza and Azimio leaders have agreed to support a proposal to have a law in place that would require election servers to be opened immediately after a general election.
The proposal was made by EALA MP Hassan Omar, who argued that it would help to end the victimization of Kenyans, especially electoral officers.
“I totally agree with this proposal that we need to make it law that servers be immediately opened after the election so that we conclude these elections conclusively,” Omar said.
He added that it was time to end the cycle of vilifying IEBC staff and Kenyans after every election.
“We do not need to repeat ourselves constantly that after every election we are vilifying IEBC staff and Kenyans…in the lead up to the elections we are intimidating them, we are kidnapping them and we are murdering them,” he said.
Former Busia Senator Amos Wako also supported the proposal, calling for a law to be enacted so that it becomes automatic for the servers to be opened.
“The law should be enacted to make servers automatically opened and accessible to everyone after the presidential results which are the final announced…this will even help those who want to file petitions,” Wako said.
Omar also urged poll losers to accept defeat, arguing that politicians have been radicalized to constantly deny the outcome of the results by laying blame on the technology, software and servers yet the results are in the public domain.
“We need to have a culture of conceding elections when we lose, the issue of big margins is not specified in the Constitution…the only constitutional threshold required is 50 plus one vote and 25 per cent in 24 counties,” he said.
On the audit of the 2022 election results, Omar explained that the results on the portal are “simply a reflection of the server”.
Omar also submitted that elections should not be the work of political parties and politicians alone but rather all stakeholders which he said included the media who he said are interested in the outcome.
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