5 Ghanaian MPs safe after being caught in Kenya unrest — Parliament

Five Ghanaian Members of Parliament have been confirmed safe after they were caught up in protests and violence that erupted in Kenya this week, according to a statement from Ghana's Parliament.

The MPs, who were visiting Kenya's Parliament on a benchmarking tour, found themselves in the middle of unrest that swept across major cities and Kenya’s Parliament House on Tuesday, June 25, against the Finance Bill 2024.

In a press release dated June 26, the Parliamentary Service of Ghana said the delegation comprising five MPs and one senior official had been secured at Kenya's Senate building and later evacuated to their hotel by Kenyan Parliament officials.

"The High Commission of Ghana in Kenya has confirmed that, the five Members of Parliament (MP's) and the Officer accompanying the delegation are safe and secure," the statement from David Sebastian Damoah, Director of Media Relations at the Parliamentary Service, said in part.

The delegation included Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi, Chairman of Ghana's Local Government Committee in Parliament, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the committee's Ranking Member, and MPs Thomas Ampem Nyarko, Sylvester Tetteh and Mohammed Taferu.

Senior Principal Assistant Clerk Anita Quartey Papafio was also part of the group visiting the Kenyan legislature.

"They were immediately escorted and secured in the Senate building and finally evacuated to their hotel by Officials of the Kenyan Parliament," the statement added.

Efforts are now underway to ensure the safe return of the Ghanaian MPs following the unrest in Kenya that has so far led to at least 22 deaths.