Trapped Kenyans in the Gulf deserve State help

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Recent remarks by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi suggesting that Kenyans stranded in Gulf countries should pay for their airfare home have sparked serious debate. Thousands of foreign nationals are being evacuated from the Middle East because of the escalating 2026 Iran war. 

Expecting distressed Kenyan migrant workers to finance their return raises profound constitutional and moral questions. Repatriating citizens facing danger abroad is not an act of charity. It is a fundamental responsibility of the state. Our Constitution provides a clear framework for how the government should treat its citizens wherever they are.

Article 12 guarantees every Kenyan the right to a passport and right to enter, remain in, and leave the country. This right cannot be meaningful if the state abandons citizens trapped abroad during crises. Article 21 further obliges the government to observe, respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights and fundamental freedoms contained in the Bill of Rights. When Kenyans are stranded or endangered in foreign countries, facilitating their safe return home becomes one of the clearest ways the state can fulfil this obligation.

Financial constraints should not be used as justification for inaction. Kenya maintains emergency financial provisions specifically designed for crises affecting citizens. The national contingency fund and other emergency allocations within the budget run into billions of shillings each year. These resources are routinely mobilised to support citizens affected by natural disasters such as droughts and floods. If public funds can be deployed during domestic emergencies, there is no legitimate reason why Kenyans in distress abroad should be excluded from similar assistance. The contrast becomes striking when viewed against the government’s response to the devastating floods that have affected several parts of the country. President William Ruto has assured affected communities that the government will support families who have lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones. This is the correct and humane response from any government confronted with the suffering of its citizens. However, the same principle must apply beyond Kenya’s borders. A Kenyan domestic worker stranded in a war-threatened Gulf city is facing an emergency just as real as a family displaced by floods in Kisumu or Garissa. The current war in the Middle East offers clear examples of how governments respond when their nationals are endangered abroad. Since the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated following joint strikes by Israel and the United States, many governments have moved swiftly to evacuate their citizens from the region. The US alone has assisted tens of thousands of its nationals to leave the Middle East.

European countries have also taken decisive action. France, Germany, Spain and Italy have arranged evacuation flights and emergency travel assistance for citizens stranded in Gulf countries as airspace closures disrupted commercial travel. The United Kingdom has similarly prepared charter flights and consular operations to bring back British nationals from affected areas across the region. Tens of thousands of British citizens registered with the government for assistance as authorities coordinated evacuation plans.

Other smaller countries whose citizens have been accorded this right of repatriation are South Africa and Rwanda. These actions reinforce a simple principle. Citizenship does not end at the airport departure gate. Ironically, Kenyans abroad contribute enormously to the country’s economy. According to the Central Bank of Kenya, diaspora remittances exceed four billion dollars annually. These funds sustain families, finance education, build homes and support local economies across the country. Indeed, the diaspora has become one of Kenya’s most reliable economic pillars. Yet despite these contributions, many Kenyans abroad feel neglected by their government. Voter registration abroad remains limited years after repeated promises to expand participation. Families who lose relatives abroad often struggle to obtain meaningful assistance from Kenyan missions. In many cases, grieving relatives must organise community fundraisers simply to repatriate bodies.

Equally troubling are the cases of Kenyans imprisoned, abused or reported missing overseas. Such cases rarely trigger the level of diplomatic urgency that citizens deserve. 

The writer is Secretary General for Diaspora, Wiper Patriotic Front