Photo courtesy of Nation Media Group
President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta,
President of the Republic of Kenya,
State House Nairobi,
Nairobi.
July 4, 2018
Dear Sir,
RE: GROSS MISTREATMENT OF KENYAN VISA SEEKERS BY CHINESE EMBASSY IN NAIROBI
Kindly spare some time from your very busy schedule to attend to a very unpleasant state of affairs innocent Kenyans are suffering at the hands of Chinese officials in Kenya. It borders on racism, human rights abuses and crude mistreatment.
Kenyans who apply for Visas to travel to various destinations to China place their request documents at a China Visa agency housed at Chancery House up along Valley Road. The agency is an official arm of the Embassy, we are told.
At the Agency offices 99% of ordinary Visa applicants having different genuine reasons for travelling are not allowed direct contact and communication with the actual Chinese officials in charge. Instead they are delayed for long (days and hours) only to get blunt responses from young local clerks and assistants who only respond once instructed by the “hiding” Chinese officials. Justifiable pleas for timely service to avoid those delays causing travellers to miss already booked and paid for flights which could attract monetary sanctions are just dismissed. Many have been forced to cancel trips or reschedule missed flights and pay attendant fines.
Surprisingly, when victims have gone to the main China Embassy to seek for interventions, they have been bluntly told that only Kenya government officials get express service. For ordinary wananchi you are advised to go out of your way and get a senior Kenya government official (Cabinet Secretaries or senior politicians) to plead your case.
Sir, this is crude. Not all Kenyans can be government officials. Also not many Kenyans have close contacts with senior government officials to be readily available to intervene on their behalf in such matters. Besides, most senior government officials are very busy and those who know them may not readily access them for this help especially when faced with tight timelines.
This mistreatment is very annoying when considering that victims are responsible Kenyans ready for any type of vetting, by the Chinese officials, for security and other concerns where necessary. Besides, some of the trips that take Kenyans to the Visa applications are very critical and urgent.
Why would the Chinese whom we treat as friendly and good diplomatic and commercial partners return our good turn with bad? We know the preferential travel and entry conditions Kenya has accorded Chinese Citizens coming into and establishing themselves in our country until they have flooded the country even into rural parts. Such requires reciprocation.
The double standards and the callousness this Embassy is subjecting Kenyans to without any logical justifications nor explanation betrays some form of discrimination and contempt the Chinese Embassy is subjecting innocent Kenyans to.
As our leader and protector of our sovereignty, we beseech you to quickly investigate this blatant mistreatment of your countrymen and direct immediate corrections. The Chinese Embassy should be forced to explain and stop this mess.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
MICAH KIGEN (Victim)
CC:- The Speaker of the National Assembly
The Speaker of the Senate
The Minister for Foreign Affairs
The Chairman, Kenya National Human Rights Commission,
Leader of Majority, Kenya National Assembly
Leader of Majority, The Senate
The Leader of Minority, Kenya National Assembly
The Leader of Minority, The Senate
The Chairman Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of National Assembly
The Chairman, Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of Senate
The Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee of the National Assembly
The Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate
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