Tororo — The relocation of Kenya refugees from Mulanda Transit Camp in Tororo to the gazetted refugee camp in Kiryandongo in Masindi District started on Monday with the first lot of 469 refugees.

The resettlement commandant from the office of the Prime Minister, Mr Titu

s Muhofah, said during a Press briefing at Tororo District administration offices that out of a total of 2345 refugees who had been in the camp, 86 per cent (2017) would be relocated to Kiryandondgo, 10 per cent(234) would return to Kenya while 4 per cent(94) would remain as urban refugees in Uganda.

"The urban refugees are a class that can rent accommodation in urban areas and live on their own but remain registered as refugees," Mr Muhofah said.

Mr Muhofah said the relocation of the 86 per cent and the repatriation of the 10 per cent was purely voluntary and not forced.

He said the transit refugee camp in Mulanda would be closed by the end of this month and handed back to Tororo District Administration which allocated it to the office of the Prime Minister to temporarily host the Kenyan refugees.

During celebrations to mark the Labour Day in Tororo Town last Thursday, Tororo Resident District Commissioner, Mr Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka said the Kenyan authorities and Tororo District Security and Disaster Management Committees were opposed to the proposed relocation of the refugees to Kiryandongo.

He said the Kenya government had set up a special fund for resettlement and care of its nationals and that they would find it cheaper in terms of transportation costs to visit and care for their nationals at Mulanda than in Kiryandongo.

But Mr Muhofah said it would be unrealistic for the Kenya government to oppose the relocation of the persons who they failed to provide security and protection to at the time of the political crisis in Kenya.