In 2014, the government developed a Diaspora Policy in recognition of the urgent need to mainstream the Kenyan diaspora into its national development process.
The policy was further to enable the government tap into the potential in skills, knowledge and expertise of the Kenyans abroad not being utilised in the country.
“As a government, we have an obligation to engage and facilitate our citizens not only locally but also abroad as stipulated in the Constitution of Kenya,” read the document.
"This policy has, therefore, been developed to facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship between the country and its diaspora."
Some of the key interventions proposed in this Policy Paper were curbing the high cost of remittances and improving consular services to address issues of Kenyans abroad.
It also sought to tap into diaspora talents to reverse the brain drain and design a dedicated web portal to facilitate collection of data and profiles of Kenyans abroad for proper planning and engagement.
The document was to be implemented between 2014 and 2018. Unfortunately, the policy has remained just a paper. Nothing has been implemented six years later.
To date, diplomatic missions abroad lack the budgetary and personnel capacity to offer effective and efficient consular services, especially where there is a high concentration of Kenyans.
Some of the Kenyans, both skilled and unskilled, are exposed to unsuitable working conditions due to lack of a national labour migration legal framework.
Nonregistration by Kenyans with the Kenya diplomatic missions abroad has also hampered their protection, and this further constrains effective delivery of consular services.
Sourcing and management of data on Kenyans abroad has been a challenge to the government for a long time. As the pandemic escalates, the embassies are now in a rush to collect the data.
A circular has been sent to various embassies, asking them to formally register their details, including names, email addresses, contacts and locations.
A senior diaspora director at the Foreign Affairs ministry blamed the plight of those stranded abroad on fragmented and uncoordinated databases from different government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
This, he said, has hampered effective planning, engagement and support for Kenyans abroad.
“Weak structures and uncoordinated mechanisms to create awareness for Kenyans abroad on the investment opportunities available in different sectors of the economy is also another challenge, coupled with lack of incentive framework to promote diaspora investments,” he said.
The director, who sought anonymity, said currently, various initiatives targeting Kenyans abroad are scattered in various MDAs.
“This has resulted in disjointed policy actions, duplication of efforts and wastage of scarce resources,” he said.
He said another challenge is the uncoordinated and disjointed nature of the Kenyan diaspora community, where there is a clear lack of cohesion among them.
He said for instance, while these Kenyans contribute to various social security services in their countries of residence, on termination of their services, there are no bilateral agreements or formal framework to facilitate transferability and portability of social security benefits to Kenya.
“For a long time, there has been mistrust among Kenyans abroad, Kenyans at home and the government. This is due to inadequate efforts to create an ideal platform through which they can dialogue on issues of mutual benefit,” he said.
“This is why transportation of these Kenyans back home remains a nightmare to us. We have no money to feed or cater for them. Our ambassadors have been forced to use their own money to assist.”
He said though it is not an obligation for them to notify the embassy, at such a time, everyone realises how important that is.
“We have seen other countries making logistics to have their citizens evacuated from Kenya, but for us, we do not have a diaspora budget that can cater for such,” he said.
"Just imagine deploying a plane to collect a population that is scattered across the world. That would be extremely expensive and the budget would be beyond our reach."
The director said a diaspora policy that was well functional was stopped in 1983. Since then there has never been another.
When one dies, the diaspora has to organise and hold harambees to fundraise to bring the body back home.
Kenya Diaspora Alliance Chairman Shem Ochuodho said the policy failed because 90 per cent of those handpicked were "government projects".
He said the policy needs at least a 50/50 per cent representation and to allow the diaspora to elect its own representatives.
Ochuodho said the government should take advantage of this situation and put things in order.
He said for now, the focus should be on helping returnees in mandatory quarantine facilities.
Edited by T Jalio