Grace Matsiko & Jane Nafula
7 March 2008
Kampala — KENYAN refugees in Uganda fear to return to their country days after the country's rival political leaders signed a power sharing agreement, a UN official has said.
Mr Antonio Guterres, the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, told a media briefing in Kampala yesterday at the end of his four day tour of the country that the only way to build confidence among the refugees is for the Kenya government to push for reconciliation at the grass roots.
"We met the Kenyan refugees. We felt anxiety. They feel there is a threat to go back," Mr Guterres said. He was accompanied by the Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere, and his deputy, Mr Musa Ecweru.
"My appeal is to the new Kenyan government (coalition government) to engage true reconciliation to take place at the community level. They (refugees) will not go back unless they feel they are safe," Mr Guterres added.
"We don't want these people to stay in Uganda for a long time but to return home safely," he said. Uganda is currently hosting 12,000 Kenyans who fled violence after the disputed December 27 presidential election. Many of the refugees are living in towns and camps in eastern Uganda.
Prof. Kabwegyere denied claims that the government had forcibly repatriated over 3,000 Rwandese refugees in Nakivale camp.
"They were immigrants whom we assessed and found out that they did not qualify for the status of refugees. I went to Rwanda and met the Minister in charge of the refugees and we found out that this group of people which had come from Tanzania were not refugees and we arranged for their going home," he said.
Mr Guterres commended Uganda for hosting and protecting thousands of refugees.
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