Mvita native and Kenya’s ambassador to Oman Sheikh Dor has played a sterling role in ensuring that kenyans trapped in Yemen find their way back home amidst the crisis engulfing the state. His unrivaled efforts have won over Mombasa residents as he has worked day and night to bring home Kenyans stranded in Yemen who have been evacuated via Oman, Saudi Arabia and Djibouti.
Due to his efforts, Kenyans stranded Sanaa, Aden and Mukalla among other places in Yemen have been granted a safe passage.
Kenyans in Yemen have been able to leave by crossing overland to Oman where Sheikh Dor and has been on hand to receive them and process their flights to Kenya. Another lot have been leaving through Sanaa. Those in Aden have been crossing over to Djibouti with Chinese and Indian warships. Kenyans close to the Saudi border are also be allowed to cross overland to Jeddah from where the government will fly them back home.
The speed at which Sheikh Dor has been able to mobilise Kenyans and arrange for safe passage through Oman is impressive. He has kept the information flowing and also seen to that citizens are comfortable. Most importantly, it is refreshing to see a public officer take personal responsibility for his work, freely share information and his contacts.
Between, 22nd and 23rd April, over 60 Kenyans were able to leave Salalah airport in Oman after crossing overland from Yemen in buses.
Not obvious to outsiders, the link between Mombasa and Yemen is very strong. A big part of Swahili/Arabs in Mombasa are of Yemeni ancestry. This is more so in some parts of Mombasa such as Guraya, Kuze and Old Town.
Therefore Mombasa is still closely tied to Yemen through trade, family and history. Yemeni dhows have docked at the old port for hundreds of years now.
When the Yemen crisis broke out, there was panic in some quarters of Mombasa where some have relatives studying, married, or working in Yemen. It seems that the country is in a slow slide to civil war with reported bombings of its capital Sanaa. A few days ago, President Uhuru’s jet had to turn back while on a trip to Dubai as the Yemeni airspace was too risky to fly over.
Appreciation for Sheikh Dor work can be seen through facebook posts on his wall.
