Please return home, Interior CS Joseph ole Lenku tells refugees

A Cabinet Secretary wants refugees, particularly those from Somalia, to voluntarily return to their country.

Mr Joseph ole Lenku of the Interior ministry said the government was finalising plans to start repatriating the refugees in a matter of weeks.

“Self-repatriation would be the most effective and sustainable solution to the problem of refugees,” he said during a visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the Dadaab Refugee Camp on Thursday.

“It is also important for the receiving country to be prepared, even as we get ready for the repatriation,” Mr Lenku said.

He admitted that terrorists had been infiltrating the camps in Kenya and unleashing mayhem which had affected the refugees and Kenyans.

“Although the country and the international community support the protection of refugees’ rights, the world should not overlook Kenya’s security interests,” the minister said.

He said the huge number of refugees Kenya hosted was also causing environmental problems.

“Today, the water table in Dadaab is almost depleted while the forest cover has also disappeared due to pressure exerted by the swelling refugee population. These are issues host communities will be left grappling with long after the refugees have left,” Mr Lenku said.

He urged the international community to provide Kenya with resources for reconstruction of roads, health facilities, police stations and schools among others to restore the environment and correct other imbalances occasioned by refugees.

The Cabinet approved repatriation of refugees starting January after Kenya and Somalia signed a “voluntary repatriation” deal in December last year.

Kenya hosts an estimated 600,000 refugees from 36 countries. Out of this, more than three quarters are from Somalia.