PHOTO | FILE Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku during a past briefing.
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Kenya Saturday stepped up its push to have half a million Somali
refugees return home after Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku
ordered all camps closed.
Mr Lenku said the government was not looking back on refugee repatriation and ordered all refugee camps shut.
He
also directed all agencies supporting refugee operations in Kenya to
move those programmes to safer areas in Somalia, saying the repatriation
of refugees had begun and that it was time to say goodbye.
“All the camps should be closed and the debate on whether or not it is appropriate has been passed by time,” he said.
Mr
Lenku was speaking when he toured Dadaab Refugee Camp, where he met
senior UNHCR officials, local leaders and a delegation from Somalia.
He
dismissed concerns by some refugees that their country was still
unstable, saying KDForces, Amisom, and other humanitarian agencies were
active on the ground.
“We urge the agencies to move
those programmes to safer areas in Somalia. Permanent structures should
also be scaled down,” he said.
In a tripartite
agreement signed between the governments of Kenya and Somalia and the UN
refugee agencies two weeks ago, it was agreed that the return of the
refugees would be on a voluntary basis. Mr Lenku was accompanied by
Senator Yusuf Haji, UNHCR country director Elike Segbor, Garissa
Governor Nadhif Jama and area MPs, among other officials. His directive,
however, is likely to create friction with the international community
including Britain, which had offered to support voluntary repatriation.