Well-wishers have raised Ksh1.98 million for Dr. Doseline Kiguru, a Kenyan lecturer whose 6-year-old daughter was denied a Visa by the United Kingdom government.
Kiguru’s family and friends set up a fundraiser on the GoFundMe platform on Monday to raise the fees needed to settle Visa and other immigration costs needed to enable the lecturer reunite with her daughter and husband.
The target set by the family was Ksh1.4 million but well-wishers surpassed this threshold, raising Ksh1.98 million in 48 hours.
Kiguru’s incident gained worldwide attraction after her story was covered by The Guardian, a renowned UK publication.
In the article, Kiguru voiced her frustrations after the United Kingdom rejected her daughter’s visa, denying them the chance to reunite.
According to Kiguru, she had secured a permanent employment opportunity at the University of Bristol, meaning that she had to permanently move to the UK.
Before then, she worked as a researcher at the university with the majority of her work being based in Kenya.
“Because her job was fixed-term and involved significant periods in Kenya on fieldwork, it was in the best interest of her daughter to remain in Kenya, and not have her schooling and life disrupted by a move to the UK, which at the time would not have been permanent, “The Guardian reported.
In 2022, Kiguru was employed permanently as a lecturer at the institution, meaning that she had to relocate to the UK.
She admitted that she did not expect any issues to arise with her family’s Visa and hence enrolled her daughter at a school in Bristol, purchasing her school uniform and supplies in anticipation of her beginning classes over the summer.
She was, however, surprised after the UK’s Home Office rejected the Visa on the justification that it saw no compassionate grounds to allow the child join her mother in the UK.
UK immigration rules state that the Kingdom is not obliged to grant a Visa to a child to allow them accompany or join a parent unless both guardians travel or settle in the UK.
Following the development, Kiguru began the process of trying to relocate her entire family including her husband to the UK.
The major stumbling block, according to Kiguru, was the requirement that she must re-apply for a Visa for both her daughter and husband which was expected to cost a total of Ksh1.4 million.
Source-https://www.kenyans.co.ke/
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