A Kenyan national in Wuhan, China has reportedly questioned why the Kenyan government is yet to evacuate its citizens amid the coronavirus epidemic.
In an hour-long phone call interview with Nation, Mr Waigwa Njogu reportedly asked over five times why the Kenyan government has abandoned Kenyans in Wuhan, China.
The Chinese government placed the city, which is the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus, on lockdown on January 23. This, according to Njogu, has made life daunting.
“Life here is too depressing, imagine sitting in a room by yourself for days on end. There is little to do. Police are constantly monitoring people who are out and about. The Egyptian students were evacuated today (Sunday) and what I keep wondering is if that will be the same for us,” he said.
The father of one said the Kenyan embassy asked them to give an updated list of their names and numbers.
“When they first asked, we got excited but by the third time it felt like something they are doing to seem like they care. They have never sent us food supplies,” he said.
Mr Njogu, a PhD candidate at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, said there are currently 42 international students who rely on the institution for food and supply will soon run out.
“The food ration is based on goodwill and the last time they delivered this was a week and a half ago. When someone lends a hand you cannot ask for more, and so supplies like toilet paper and toothpaste have run out,” he said.
“One of my friends lives an hour away and she says that supermarkets such as Walmart have tripled their prices. Even if she could afford to buy me a few things there is no working transport system and so I remain at the mercy of well-wishers,” he added.
Additional Reporting by Nation.co.ke
