A Kenyan doctor has boldly called out the US Embassy in Nairobi over Visa frustrations that she claims birder on daylight robbery.
In an open letter to the incoming US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, Dr. Elizabeth Amakove Wala narrated how the embassy has turned Visa application processes into a cash cow.
Dr. Wala says that she and her daughter were frustrated following her Visa appointment that was scheduled 2 years from the date of application, beating the logic of the purpose of application.
She narrated that one of her daughters was the only one at her school to qualify for the World Scholars final dubbed Theatre of Champions which will be held at Yale University, in November 2022.
She and her daughter flew to Dubai for the World Scholars Global Cup Round, for a debate and creative writing competition, and she has been very supportive through her daughter’s journey.
When they came back to Kenya, Dr. Wala began the Visa process for the US event. She required an invitation letter from Global Scholars Cup which was sent immediately. Cumulatively, it cost her Sh. 38,400 ($240) to complete the process.
To her astonishment, the next slot for a Visa appointment was scheduled for May 2024. Ironically, the US Embassy said that her Visa application fees would only be valid for one year. This inevitably meant that she would not only be losing her money, but that her daughter would also lose her slot at the competition.
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Dr. Wala was quick to apply for an expedited appointment. The response from the US Embassy was quick and well detailed; APPOINTMENT DENIED!
In her open protest letter, Dr. Wala said;
“Dear Madam Ambassador, the embassy is making billions of Shillings from Kenyans through these delays in appointments. I am not that desperate to get an American VISA. I know my daughter will be disappointed.
“All I’m asking for is a change in the system. Get people to pay whenever they are due an appointment. Refund the application fee to people like us who give up when given a 2-year date. This is simply daylight robbery.”
She went on;
“I have absolutely no intention of absconding my beloved motherland and my other 3 children and businesses. I was told by friends to keep checking the appointment schedule for any opening between 11pm and 6am in the morning. that I could be in luck and get a 2023 date. What kind of life is that!
I do not have any future plans to relocate. One of my businesses is Wanderlust Diaries Ltd whose sole purpose is to promote Kenya to Kenyans and we have done it so successfully that Meta gave us a grant to scale it up.
I hope this letter gets to you. I know many other Kenyans whose plans have been scattered because of these delays and who are suffering silently. I don’t suffer in silence.”