NAIROBI, Kenya June 15 – The Chinese Embassy has denied reports that its nationals are set to leave the county en masse, over COVID-19 fears.
The Embassy Spokesperson Xueqing Huang said the reports published on a local newspaper “are false, and no such plans are in place.”
The local newspaper had reported that some 400 Chinese nationals had obtained a court order to enable them to leave the country on June 16, for lack of trust in the Kenyan health system to manage the virus.
“That newspaper report is fabricated. There is nothing like that,” she said, “There is no passenger flight to China this week.”
The newspaper had reported that the group had obtained a court order from Justice Weldon Korir to travel on June 16.
She also dismissed as false reports on the newspaper that the group was to be led by Ambassador Wu Peng.
While the Embassy Spokesperson confirmed that the Ambassador was set to leave the country, she said it had nothing to do with the said group.
She said the Ambassador will be returning back to China on completion of his tenure in Kenya, in what she described as a normal transfer.
“This is a normal transfer but the departure date has not been confirmed,” she said, and assured of good diplomatic relations between Kenya and China.
She said Chinese nationals in Kenya have confidence in the country’s health system.
“China and Kenya maintained sound cooperation and mutual assistance in the fight against COVID-19,” Huang said, and lauded the “Kenyan government, medical institutes and all medical front liners for their excellent work.”
The Embassy has urged Chinese nationals in the country to strictly observe the COVID-19 containment measures issued by authorities in the host country in defeating the virus that had infected 3,727 by June 15.
