The State Department of Diaspora Affairs will between April 13 to April 20 offer mobile consular services in various cities in China.
The announcement was made on Sunday during a webinar hosted by Kenya’s Ambassador to China Willy Bett for Kenyan students.
The delegation will start offering the services in the capital Beijing on April 13, move to Guangzhou on April 15, proceed to Shanghai on 17th and conclude in Hong Kong on April 20.
In Beijing, the team is also targeting Kenyans in Tianjin, while the Guangzhou itinerary will cover Shenzhen.
Those in Nanjing will be served in Shanghai, while the Hong Kong station will cover Macau.
The department in conjunction with the Immigration Department and the National Registration Bureau has been conducting mobile consular services across the world, taking various services closer to Kenyans living abroad. The rollout is now in phase three.
Among the services offered include application and replacement of ID cards, passport application and renewal, authentication of certificates and application of birth certificates, police clearance, document attestation and declaration of citizenship.
So far, the department has covered Turkiye, the US (Boston, Seattle and Houston), Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Egypt, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Thailand and the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Through a statement on March 18, the department encouraged those in diaspora to visit e-citizen to fill in their application and make sure they have the right documentation, photos and originals prior for them to be assisted.
STABILISING CONSULAR SERVIVES
Speaking after the Kenya Diaspora Conference in December last year, Diaspora Affairs PS Roseline Njogu said service provision to Kenyans abroad is among her top priorities.
“Only after stabilising consular issues can you start talking to people about investment issues. So, we have spent the first year setting up a firm foundation that assures the diaspora that we are here to protect their rights and welfare,” PS Njogu said at the time.
At the time, the department had covered 20 countries.
During the Sunday webinar, Ambassador Bett encouraged students to prioritize their studies, even as he urged them to take advantage of their Beijing in China to gather business ideas.
“Many people are coming to China to benchmark in various sectors. You have an opportunity to benchmark as you study here. Be courageous enough to think of new ventures,”Amb Bett said.
He also told the students to understand the Chinese culture, ensure they respect the rules, policies and laws of the land to avoid getting to trouble.
The webinar was also attended by Deputy Head of Mission Amb Lynette Mwende, embassy staff, Kenya Students Studying In China Association president Wambui Kiarie, her counterpart representing Beijing chapter Yvonne Kendi and students drawn from various universities across China.
