Kenyan students stuck in Ukraine are pleading with the government to hasten their evacuation even as they argue that the situation in the warzone country is getting out of hand.
Kenyan students trapped in Ukraine are asking the authorities to expedite their evacuation, despite the fact that the situation in the war-torn country is rapidly deteriorating.
Dr Maria Othieno Bayerl, a Kenyan plastic surgeon stationed in Bucharest, Romania, described the situation on the ground as follows: “Students have been left to their own devices and are on the edge of starvation.”
“The situation of our students is a situation that you would never want to experience. All 26 students currently pursuing medicine at the Academic and Research Medical Institute are going through hell. Their water and food supplies are fast running out. They have pleaded for assistance but nothing good seems to come from our government,” said Bayerl.
Students have been relying on the hostel’s and university’s food supplies, she said, but water has been cut in the city where they’ve been staying for three days, forcing them to drink and cook with snow.
Bayerl, who has been in contact with some of the students, took a shot at the administration, claiming that despite other foreign countries attempting to evacuate their residents, Kenyans stuck in Sumy, Ukraine, have been left to their own devices.
How do you expect our students to concentrate or even have peace when their daily routine is gunshots and explosions. We want to see serious action taken, our students are tired of numerous messages of hope with no action,” said Dr Bayerl.
In a video shared by Bayerl, enraged students complain about how Ukrainian authorities have prevented them from leaving the country.
They have blocked every route we can use to evacuate. They are telling us that we cannot leave this place yet they are not giving us any reason. We will just go back to our hostels and wait, if they want to kill us, let them do so,” said the student who was surrounded by other students.
The Kiswahili-speaking students were distraught in the video, dressed warmly to combat the cold weather in Ukraine, and their leader stated that they had exhausted all possible options for assistance.
Please inform your friends and family in the nearby country about our plight. Don’t give up; we’ll get out of here eventually. “Let us not lose hope.”
According to Bayerl, it costs 3000 euros to go from Sumy to Romania, a distance of 1,300 kilometers (Sh400,000).
While some students are moving to Poland, others are flocking to Romania to escape Russia’s and Ukraine’s ongoing war.
Those who arrived in Romania took a direct train from Kyiv to Chernivtsi in western Ukraine, where they arrived approximately 40 minutes later.
“How do you expect young children with small pocket money to raise close to Sh400,000 while their government is just silent. I just wish they were allowed to leave Ukraine. I have prepared for them a nice place where they can stay peacefully.
These kids are suffering and I am worried they may even end up in depression if the situation is not addressed,” said Bayerl.
Sumy, which is around 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Russia’s border, was one of the first places attacked by Russian forces when President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion on February 24.
Last Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended students to examine their situation and decide whether to take required preparations or leave.
“Kenyans have been advised that if they do not feel comfortable they should leave of their own free will. They need to judge the circumstances and decide. Only parts of the country are affected by warfare,” said Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau.
So far, fighting has mostly taken place on the outskirts of Sumy, a city primarily populated by university students, but there are fears that Russian troops are moving closer to the center.
Sumy is home to almost 1,700 international students.
India, which has the most students in the region, has been impacted as well, but has warned its students to prepare for evacuation.
Other students that are stuck are from Nigeria, which has roughly 400 students in Sumy right now, second only to Indians.
Jordanian, Rwandan, Ghanaian, Palestinian, and Turkmen students are among the other participants.
