The Government would like to clarify on several issues pertaining to the flow of refugees in our country:
1.Kenya hosts more refugees than any other country. The Kenyan Government has never turned away any refugee and we continue to welcome refugees in our country. For many decades Kenya was home to South Sudan refugees and we have hosted refugees from several countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Somali.
1.Kenya hosts more refugees than any other country. The Kenyan Government has never turned away any refugee and we continue to welcome refugees in our country. For many decades Kenya was home to South Sudan refugees and we have hosted refugees from several countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Somali.
2.Kenya hosts over one million Somali refugees in our country. These refugees are in refugee camps and others are living among Kenyans in our cities and villages. Kenya has and will continue to protect and assist these brothers and sisters of ours from Somalia.
3.The Government of Kenya has opened a new camp – the IFO Camp but its capacity is limited and will soon be overstretched due to a continued influx of Somali refugees.
4.The current influx of refugees into Kenya is of Somalis seeking food and not people running away from violence. The refugees are coming into Kenya to get food due to the severe drought situation in Somalia.
5.The flow of refugees – at approximately 2,000 plus per week - is not manageable. Most of the refugees are in very poor state by the time they arrive in Kenya. The refugees are trekking long distances before they get to Kenya and it is unfortunate that women and children are dying even before they get to the Kenyan border.
6.The Kenyan Government has agreed with the Red Cross, World Food Program, Unicef, UNHCR and others that it would be better and more humane to open feeding centers inside Somali where the security is assured by the Somali Transitional Government and the African Peace Keeping Force AMISON. This would alleviate the situation and prevent women and Children from dying before they can get help. It would also enable the refugees to return to their homes as soon as the drought situation improves so that they not remain as refugees.
7.The Kenya Government calls on the international community to also play its part in helping the Somali drought victims. Waiting for starving people to trek kilometers into Kenya seeking food and water is improper whereas they can receive help earlier and as a result more lives can be saved.
8.The Kenyan Government advocates for alternative feeding programs such as food drops from aircrafts to the drought victims in Somaliland. The Kenyan Government is ready and willing to support such as initiative that would give immediate relief to the hungry.
9.The border between Kenya and Somali will continue to be closed due to Kenya security concerns. However, the closed border has not stopped any refugees from entering Kenya. Kenya has welcomed all refugees and assisted them.
10.The Current flow of refugees is not tenable and it may get to a point where the burden will be too great to bear. A more viable solution that really assists the drought driven refugees needs to be arrived at. Building more camps will not solve the problem. For example, the IFO camp’s capacity is already stretched.
Dr. Alfred N. Mutua, EBS
3.The Government of Kenya has opened a new camp – the IFO Camp but its capacity is limited and will soon be overstretched due to a continued influx of Somali refugees.
4.The current influx of refugees into Kenya is of Somalis seeking food and not people running away from violence. The refugees are coming into Kenya to get food due to the severe drought situation in Somalia.
5.The flow of refugees – at approximately 2,000 plus per week - is not manageable. Most of the refugees are in very poor state by the time they arrive in Kenya. The refugees are trekking long distances before they get to Kenya and it is unfortunate that women and children are dying even before they get to the Kenyan border.
6.The Kenyan Government has agreed with the Red Cross, World Food Program, Unicef, UNHCR and others that it would be better and more humane to open feeding centers inside Somali where the security is assured by the Somali Transitional Government and the African Peace Keeping Force AMISON. This would alleviate the situation and prevent women and Children from dying before they can get help. It would also enable the refugees to return to their homes as soon as the drought situation improves so that they not remain as refugees.
7.The Kenya Government calls on the international community to also play its part in helping the Somali drought victims. Waiting for starving people to trek kilometers into Kenya seeking food and water is improper whereas they can receive help earlier and as a result more lives can be saved.
8.The Kenyan Government advocates for alternative feeding programs such as food drops from aircrafts to the drought victims in Somaliland. The Kenyan Government is ready and willing to support such as initiative that would give immediate relief to the hungry.
9.The border between Kenya and Somali will continue to be closed due to Kenya security concerns. However, the closed border has not stopped any refugees from entering Kenya. Kenya has welcomed all refugees and assisted them.
10.The Current flow of refugees is not tenable and it may get to a point where the burden will be too great to bear. A more viable solution that really assists the drought driven refugees needs to be arrived at. Building more camps will not solve the problem. For example, the IFO camp’s capacity is already stretched.
Dr. Alfred N. Mutua, EBS
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY &
GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
21st July, 2011
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