Another 60 Kenyans evacuated from South Africa arrived at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Friday, July 3, 2026, at night as the government stepped up efforts to bring home citizens affected by the recent wave of xenophobic violence and anti-migrant unrest in the southern African nation.

The latest group was received by officials from the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, which is coordinating the multi-agency evacuation exercise.

Representing Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu, the department’s Head of Counselling Unit, Peter Burugu, led the reception at JKIA, where the returnees underwent debriefing before being reunited with their families.

The State Department, in a statement shared via X on Saturday, July 4, 2026, said the evacuees also received immediate psychosocial support to help them cope with the traumatic experiences many endured while fleeing the unrest.

“The State Department for Diaspora Affairs, leading a multi-agency effort, last night received 60 Kenyans evacuated from South Africa,” the statement reads in part.

“Representing Diaspora Affairs PS, Ms. Roseline Njogu, Mr. Peter Burugu, Head of the Counselling Unit, led the reception, where the team debriefed the returnees and provided on-the-spot psychosocial first aid before reuniting them with their families.”

Rescue mission gathers pace

The arrival of the 60 Kenyans comes just days after the government announced it had successfully evacuated 151 Kenyans from South Africa through a series of flights coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and the Kenya High Commission in Pretoria.

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi said the evacuation was launched following a surge in xenophobic attacks, intimidation and anti-immigrant protests targeting foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.,

As of July 2, a total of 240 Kenyans had registered with the Kenya High Commission in Pretoria seeking assistance. The government said it had been providing temporary shelter, hotel accommodation, food, emergency travel documents, ground transportation and flights back to Kenya for those affected.

The initial evacuation was conducted in phases using commercial flights.

On June 30, three separate groups comprising 61, 26 and 17 Kenyans landed safely in Nairobi, followed by another 47 evacuees on July 1, bringing the total number of returnees to 151 by July 2. An additional group of 55 Kenyans was expected later that day as the operation gathered momentum.

Government officials have maintained that the majority of the estimated 27,000 to 30,000 Kenyans living and working in South Africa remain safe, but said emergency assistance has been prioritised for those directly affected by the violence.

Final evacuation flight announced

Meanwhile, the government has announced that the emergency evacuation exercise will conclude next week.

In a notice issued by the State Department for Diaspora Affairs on Friday, Kenyans still wishing to return home were urged to register immediately with the Kenya High Commission in Pretoria ahead of the final government-sponsored evacuation flight, which is scheduled to depart from Johannesburg on Thursday, July 9.

The ministry directed all Kenyans seeking evacuation to complete registration and present themselves for vetting no later than Tuesday, July 7, warning that only those who have been registered, vetted and processed will be allowed to board the final flight.

The government also thanked the Kenya Diaspora Association in South Africa (KEDASA) and members of the Kenyan community for working closely with consular officials and South African authorities throughout the evacuation exercise.

The evacuation programme was launched after anti-migrant demonstrations and immigration crackdowns escalated in several parts of South Africa, forcing hundreds of foreign nationals, including Kenyans, to seek assistance from their respective governments.

Many returnees have reported losing businesses, jobs and personal property during the unrest, prompting Nairobi to mount one of its largest emergency consular operations for citizens in the country.