Hiiraan Online

Monday, October 21, 2013

The measures include thorough vetting of refugees being admitted to the camp and restricted movements to other parts of the county.

Police patrols along the border with Somalia have also been beefed up to curb entry by cattle rustlers and bandits, among other criminals.

“We are no longer accepting any refugee at the camp without referral letters from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees office or relevant government office acknowledging their status,” said Turkana West police boss Jonathan Ngala.

He said that refugees at the camp will not be allowed to move out unless they have compelling reasons such as seeking medical treatment.

“Those in search of treatment outside Kakuma Hospital are required to have referral letters and none of them are allowed to engage in business outside the camp,” said Mr Ngala.

Kakuma camp is the second biggest in the country after Dadaab.

It is home to 72,000 refugees, among them 45,000 Somalis, 15,000 South Sudan immigrants and the rest are from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi, among other countries.

“The close security monitoring at the refugee camp will be extended to social places to get rid of illegal immigrants and maintain law and order,” said Mr Ngala.

He said several police roadblocks had been mounted along the Lodwar-Lokichogio road, the gateway to South Sudan, to check on immigrants out to capitalise on porous border points to enter the country.

“Motorists should report suspicious passengers and carry out thorough checks on luggage to ensure that it does not contain dangerous objects like explosives,” said the police boss.

Operating businesses

An impending police swoop has sparked tension among illegal Somali immigrants who have been living and operating businesses in parts of the North Rift region. Some of them have been staying with Somalis of Kenyan origin and went on to establish businesses in major towns in the region.

At the same time, an MP has revealed the presence of Al-Shabaab militants in Turkana County after he received intelligence reports on Friday.

Turkana South MP James Lomenen told residents that the presence of the militants was exposed when police introduced strict security measures to ensure only eligible refugees are accommodated at Kakuma camp after the Westgate mall attack.

Mr Lomenen said the militants are among those who did not have legal documents to access the camp and now spend nights at some lodgings in Lodwar, Kakuma and Lokichar towns, where they plan their activities such as transporting missiles to various places, including Garissa.

The lawmaker was addressing mourners on Saturday during the burial of Ms Ruth Nanok, the wife of former district commissioner Peter Eripete at Kanam Kemer in Turkana Central District.