Insecurity, illegal arms linked to refugees
What you need to know:
- On Thursday, Attorney General Githu Muigai and his team told a UN human rights meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, that there is proof some of the refugees are illegally importing arms and supporting terrorists.
- “The protracted refugee situation in Kenya is also the cause of increased insecurity and smuggling of arms. Refugee camps are a support base for terrorists.”
- In December, Members of Parliament passed amendments to the Refugee Act of 2006 to cap the number of refugees in the country to 150,000.
Kenya says the repatriation of Somali refugees, and the eventual closure of the Dadaab refugee camp would be one way of dealing with the flow of illegal arms coming into the country.
On Thursday, Attorney General Githu Muigai and his team told a UN human rights meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, that there is proof some of the refugees are illegally importing arms and supporting terrorists.
“Kenya continues to uphold its international obligations with respect to the refugee protection, currently hosting a large number of them in the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps,” the government delegation argued.
The delegation, led by the AG, appeared before the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) working group for an examination of Kenya’s human rights record since 2010. It was the first review since Kenya enacted a new constitution in 2010.
At the meeting, Kenya was expected to report on what it had done on about 140 recommendations the UN suggested to the country.
Most of these recommendations touched on protection of civil liberties, refugees and internally displaced persons, political freedoms and passing of related new laws.
PROTRACTED REFUGEE SITUATION
“The protracted refugee situation in Kenya is also the cause of increased insecurity and smuggling of arms. Refugee camps are a support base for terrorists.”
The argument came even as Kenya is accused of trying to change refugee laws to restrict their numbers and movement. Last year, Human Rights Watch accused the police of brutally trying to eject illegal immigrants following a spate of terror attacks.
In December, Members of Parliament passed amendments to the Refugee Act of 2006 to cap the number of refugees in the country to 150,000.
But the amendment clause, which was part of the controversial Security [Amendment] Act of 2014, was suspended by the High Court, and later retained by the Court of Appeal; after members of the Opposition challenged its constitutionality.
On Thursday, Kenya argued the changes to the refugee law did not contradict international norms for caring for refugees, saying they were part of national policy to secure the country. During the session, Kenya was put under pressure to remain within human rights laws even as they implemented anti-terror laws.
