Human rights body opposes closure of Daadab, Kakuma refugee camps

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has called on the international community to help Kenya shoulder the burden of refugees as opposed to closure of the Dadaab and Kakuma Refugee Camps.

Speaking to the media, KNCHR Vice Chair George Morara says the repatriation of the refugees is against their human rights and is now appealing to the government to find an alternative way to deal with the issue.

Morara added that the commission has already completed a report dubbed ‘Country under Siege’, that shows how 97 police officers have been killed in the past three years, with 180,000 people displaced and 845 houses set a blaze due to cattle rustling incidents in the North Rift region alone.

This comes barely a week after the government declared that it will no longer be hosting refugees in the interest of national security.

While making the announcement, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho said the move is part of measures the government is putting in place to restore security in the country due to the challenge posed by Al Shabaab.

Kibicho also revealed that the government has disbanded the Department of Refugee Affairs and will also close two refugees camps in due course with no immediate plans to re-open them.

“The Government of Kenya acknowledges that this decision will have adverse effects on the lives of refugees and the international  community must collectively take responsibility take responsibility on humanitarian needs that will arise out of this action,” said the PS in a statement.