The Closure of Refugee Camps in Kenya is a Reckless Decision

Someone just woke up and decided that all the refugee camps in Kenya have to be closed down. Whoever came up with this abrupt decision was either misadvised, he does not live in Kenya or he or she is ignorant. Closure of all the refugee camps in the country is not an issue that one just wakes up and closes them down like going to the outside house and coming back. Amnesty International has termed the decision as ‘a reckless decision by the Government of Kenya.’

As much as Kenya has been adversely affected by the numerous attacks from Alshabaab, it should be understood that refugees are protected under the international law for refugees where Kenya is one of them. Under this, Kenya is obligated to take care of the refugees. The law protects people who seek asylum from persecution and those who have been recognized as refugees. The 1951 Refugee Convention which contains the principle of non-refoulement and which is considered to be part of the customary law binds all the states.

Read: Refugee Camps in the Country Boosting the Economy

If all the refugee camps are to be closed down, more than 600,000 people who call those camps home are going to be affected. Dadaad Refugee Camp is the largest camp in the world. The camp has over 300,000 refugees. These are people who have been calling this camp a home for the past 20 years. Most of the young people who are in these camps have never been to Somalia. They were born and brought up in Kenya.

The closure of these refugee camps without proper planning is a creation of thousands of possible jihadists who will come back to hunt down Kenya. Somalia is still unstable and even the few Somalis who are still there are not safe. The Alshabaab still rules almost half of Somalia despite the efforts by the Amison to drive them out.

Many questions arise from these:

• Are we really going to drive more than 600,000 Somalis back to their country?
• Are they going to be safe in Somalia same as they are in Kenya?
• Is there credible evidence that links them to Alshabaab?
• Is Somalia stable enough to receive them back?

According to Interior Ministry Spokesman Mwenda Njoka, “The message is clear; we are closing the camps and we will not accept other refugees in the country.” If the government is going to force more than 600,000 refugees back to Somalia, without them willingly opting to do so, the following are bound to happen:

• These people will go back to Somalia but they will hate Kenya. They will see Kenya as an enemy. This is the ideology that Alshabaab believes in. Chances for them to join Alshabaab so as to fight a “common enemy” will be very high.
• The international community which is against the move by the government will view Kenya as a nation that wants to move away from the rest of the world. Kenya is bound to lose goodies from the international community especially from donor countries that have been taking care of the refugees (though the government through Cabinet Secretary for Interior Joseph Nkaiseri, the international community has done nothing to help the situation of the refugees)
• The government says that it is doing this for the security of Kenyans but the truth is that this is putting Kenyans at a greater risk of being attacked and the economy will always be affected.

The government should have done the following before reaching the decision of closing down the refugee camps in the country:

• Look at both long-term and short-term repatriation of the refugees back to Somalia.
• Consult with the international community so as to get their take on the issue.
• Ensure that the Alshabaab is fully defeated and Somalia is back to her feet before reaching the decision.

Off the Cuff

This article should not be taken as being sympathetic to the terrorist activities in the country. The security of Kenya and Kenyans is paramount. It is true that terrorist activities have affected the economy of this country. The only issue here is that the decision to close down the refugee camps has to made and reached in a sober manner and not to be driven with emotions.

Article by Juma Fred.