Kenyan Medical Student Fleeing Ukraine Narrates Her Ordeal at the Polish Border

A Kenyan medical student who fled Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion has narrated her ordeal while seeking refuge in Poland, which has opened her borders to thousands fleeing the conflict.

Speaking to British newspaper The Guardian, the 24-year-old said she faced discrimination at the Ukrainian border, where she was forced to wait for hours to cross over to Poland as authorities were giving priority to Ukrainian nationals. 

“We had to wait five hours but we were lucky: we met some people there who had spent days waiting in the foreign national queue,” the student told The Guardian.

After being allowed in, the student says she boarded a free bus organized by a non-government organization to a hotel on the outskirts of Warsaw, which is offering free accommodation to Ukrainian refugees. But the student and her Kenyan friends were denied entry at the hotel even after offering to pay for a room.

“The staff said, ‘Sorry, we can’t admit you because this was meant only for Ukrainians,’” she added.

Her family in Kenya had to seek the help of their Polish friend, who secured accommodation for her and her friends in Warsaw.

Her story follows numerous reports of discrimination against Africans trying to leave Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 79 Kenyans had been evacuated from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. 74 students successfully crossed into neighboring Poland while four went to Romania and Hungary, the ministry added. 

One student flew back to the country while four others declined to be evacuated, citing personal reasons. The ministry stated that all the 201 registered Kenyans who were in Ukraine, including 18 permanent residents, are safe.

Last week, the Kenyan government negotiated unrestricted entry for Kenyans into European Union countries bordering Ukraine.