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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.

Giving an account of the situation on the ground, Dr Maria Othieno Bayerl, a Kenyan plastic surgeon based in Bucharest, Romania, said students have been left to their own devices and are on the verge of starving. 

“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.

She said students have been relying on the hostel’s supplies of food, as well as the university’s stocks but water has been cut in the city where they stay for three days, forcing them to melt snow to drink and to cook with.

Left on their own

Bayerl, who has been in communication with some of the students, took a swipe at the government saying that despite other foreign governments putting efforts to evacuate their citizens Kenyans stuck on Sumy, Ukraine, have been left on their own.

“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.

A video shared by Bayerl shows angry students complaining about how they have been blocked from leaving the country by Ukrainian authorities.

“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 video captured the Kiswahili-speaking students’ distraught, dressed heavily to fight the cold weather in Ukraine, with their leader saying that they had exhausted the available avenues for help. 

“If you have friends or families in the nearby country, please inform them of our situation. Don’t give up, we will leave this country in the end. Let’s keep hope alive.”

Bayerl said to move from Sumy to Romania, which is a distance of 1,300 kilometres, one has to part with 3000 euros  (Sh400,000).

While several students have been heading to Poland, others have been flocking to Romania as they flee the raging war between Russia and Ukraine.

Those who landed in Romania took a direct train from Kyiv to Chernivtsi in western Ukraine, and it took nearly 40 minutes to reach the Romanian border.

“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 lies about 48km (30 miles) from the border with Russia — it was one of the first cities to be attacked by Russian forces after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on February 24.

Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised students to assess their circumstances and either take necessary precautions or leave as they deem fit.  

“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 mostly occupied by university students but there are fears that Russian troops are advancing towards the city.

At least 1,700 foreign students are trapped in Sumy.

India, which has the highest number of students in the region, has also been affected but has advised its students to be ready for evacuation.

Other students stuck are from Nigeria, which has about 400 students currently in Sumy, the second largest group after Indians.

Others include students from Jordan, Rwanda, Ghana, Palestine and Turkmenistan.