COVID-19 a wake-up call for Kenyans in America

The pandemic has led many Kenyans to re-examine their priorities. Those who have not returned home for years now feel caged. While their greatest challenge has been to keep safe boundaries with the immigration officials, this pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge.

Even if they wanted to go back home right away, the termination of international flights locks them in the United States, at least until the pandemic is over.

Jane has been in the US for 10 years and has not been able to return home. “This pandemic is a wake-up call for me,” she said. “My greatest fear now is not bumping into immigration officials but keeping safe and healthy, so I can return home to my family in one piece.”

According to a report issued on April 7 by the International Labor Organisation (ILO), the Covid-19 crisis is expected to “wipe out” 6.7 percent of working hours globally in the second quarter of 2020. This is equivalent to 195 million full-time workers. These numbers do not spare the Kenyans working in the US.

Sheila and her husband Jealan run an Uber business at the JFK Airport in New York. Due to the pandemic, social distancing rules and the risks posed by the Uber business, this Kenyan couple had to forfeit the business and look for alternatives.

“Both our Uber vehicles are on loan. The leasing company needs the monthly payment and so does our landlord. This business cannot sustain us now,” Sheila says.

She says the alternative is to return the leased car and file unemployment benefits — a programme that allows her as a permanent resident to obtain food and some subsided rental support.

Not everyone has a fall-back plan like Sheila and Jealan. For those without legal status, there is nowhere to turn. Government aid is meant for all those who are legally documented and pay back taxes and their employers pay unemployment benefits.

Those who do odd jobs for individuals, such as babysitting and cleaning, are the most affected by the pandemic since they cannot claim social or unemployment benefits.

Originally published at https://www.the-star.co.ke on April 4, 2020.