About 100 Kenyan students in Wuhan, China will receive Ksh 1.3 million from government for upkeep.
Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna on Thursday said that the students who are stuck in the Chinese city will receive the cash for their daily needs.
STATE SAYS Sh1.3m to be given to Kenyan students in Wuhan for upkeep; Govt spokesman Cyrus Oguna says 100 Kenyans are in the Chinese city. pic.twitter.com/p0jOHi6dY8
— NationBreakingNews (@NationBreaking) February 20, 2020
Oguna further noted that the Kenyan students are more safe while in China than flying them back due to infection risks.
GOVT Spokesman Oguna says Kenyan students are more safe in Wuhan, China than flying them back due to infection risks. pic.twitter.com/2S3JmfPk5x
— CapitalFM Breaking News (@BreakingNewsKE) February 20, 2020
President Uhuru Kenyatta announced plans to evacuate Kenyan students from Wuhan while in Washington DC earlier this month after pleas from Kenyan students went viral on social media.
Days later, Kenya’s foreign affairs principal secretary Macharia Kamau disputed President Kenyatta’s statement claiming that the students are “safe where they are.”
After a failed attempt to airlift 105 Ugandan students from Wuhan, Uganda’s government has also made the decision to keep its students in China.
‘‘It is safe to keep those persons in Wuhan city there because the city is under lock down. Uganda does not have specialized capacity to handle coronavirus. The country is already stressed with outbreaks,’ Ugandan health minister Ruth Aceng said in a statement.
Concerns over the ability of Africa’s healthcare systems to treat possible coronavirus cases are not unfounded.
Egypt is the only African country with a confirmed case of coronavirus so far.
The affected 33-year old foreign national is currently being quarantined, treated and is in stable condition.