Kenya arranges second flight to evacuate Kenyans stranded in United Kingdom

Kenya High Commission in London has arranged a second flight to evacuate Kenyans stranded in the United Kingdom amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news report by Nairobi News.

Manoah Esipisu who heads the Commission has asked Kenyans in the UK to register with the mission before Friday to book a slot in the Kenya Airways chartered flight.

The UK mission said the KQ flight was arranged through the Kenyan and UK governments for a flight set to depart to Nairobi from Heathrow Airport on Friday, according to a statement.

"The flight has been loaded on the Kenya Airways booking system and is available for sale on a first-come-first-served basis," the statement read in part.

However, the government has said that they will be evacuated from the UK at their own cost.

According to the statement, "All Kenyans arriving in the country will be quarantined as required by the Government of Kenya, Ministry of Health guidelines. Passengers will bear the costs of quarantine."

However, the arrivals must prepare to undergo a 14-28 day quarantine on arrival at JKIA as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Last week the government said those arriving from abroad will be quarantined in public facilities for free. On Wednesday, the government said it would bear the cost of targeted testing and quarantine even those arriving from abroad.

Some of the Kenyans caught up in the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, China and India started arriving home last week.

Some 84 citizens landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport aboard a Kenya Airways plane from London on Monday night.