21 January 2008
Nairobi — The UN Children's agency, Unicef, Sunday expressed concerns over Government's plan to close all camps and send the displaced back to their homes.
The Government is expected to close the camp at Jamhuri Park by 10am Monday and repatriate the displaced. It is also expected to close other camps across the country and return the uprooted groups to their homes.
Speaking before a meeting at the Jamhuri Park where an estimated 3,000 are camping, Sara Cameron of Unicef said that the move was a gross violation of humanitarian principles.
She said Unicef was concerned with the directive considering that some areas such as Kibera were still insecure.
After the meeting, organisations that have been offering aid at the camp resolved to meet Special Programmes permanent secretary Rachel Arunga Monday and plead for more days.
Ms Cameron said that the organisations, which include the UN High Commission for Refugees, Unicef, Red Cross and the National Council of Churches of Kenya want the families to stay in the camps for 15 more days.
"The repatriation should be as humane as possible and voluntarily, but as at now, I think the displaced are not ready to leave," she said.
She said that the Government had not guaranteed the families safety once they return to their homes.
Selling vegetables
Officials of Unicef, Red Cross and those from government attended a meeting Sunday as plans were underway to close the camp.
Some displaced people said they will never go back to their homes while others said they were ready so long as their security was guaranteed.
Ms Florence Awino, 35, said she was ready to go back to Laini Saba in Kibera and continue selling vegetables.
She said that even at the camp, she lived in fear and had lost property.
She complained that the camp was "filled with thieves." The mother of four said she had lost blankets and utensils donated by well-wishers.
Ms Susan Asiko said that the sick were suffering at the camp and asked the Government to help them return home.
But 65-year-old Peter Kahindi said he was not leaving the camp because the slum was still unsafe.
Unless security personnel start patrolling the slum day and night, he will not move out of the park.
Unicef has been working with the Children's Department to ensure young ones are well protected.
The UN agency has provided family kits for more than 60,000 people that include basic necessities such as tarpaulins, blankets and cooking utensils.
Families are also receiving medical supplies, nutritional supplements and water. The UN organisation also provided sanitary pads for about 10,000 displaced girls and women.
In Mombasa, more than 200 families who camped in various places have been ordered to return home.
Those affected include 114 families who had camped at Police Dog Section after they fled from their homes in Mishomoroni and Kisauni areas and 89 families who were camping at the Likoni Catholic Church.
Speaking during relief food distribution donation at the Kisauni district officer's office, the families said they feared for their lives.
"After being ejected from the Dog Section, we have nowhere else to go because we cannot return to our homes because we still fear for our lives," they said. The families claimed they had been removed from the police line on orders from the district commissioner.
"On Friday morning, we were told to vacate our temporary shelter and return to our homes because calm had returned there," they said adding: "We have nowhere to go and we are appealing to the Government to relocate us where our security is guaranteed."
According to their spokesman Lucas Kanyotu, the Dog Section camp had 114 families. Through the DC's office, there were plans to either post a temporary teacher at the camp or relocate the 73 primary school pupils to schools neighbouring the Dog Section.
Reported by Sam Kiplagat, Mwakera Mwajefa and Gitonga Marete.
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