Please do not kick out needy refugees from camps — UNHCR

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees yesterday warned Kenya over its 

decision to stop hosting refugees in Kenya. 

UNHCR said the safety of hundreds of thousands of Somalis, South Sudanese and other 

refugees living in Kenya hinged on the country's generosity and its willingness to be a 

leading beacon in the region for international protection. 

The agency said it was important that international asylum obligations prevail and are 

properly supported for 600,000 refugees hosted in the country just like 60 million 

refugees hosted globally. 

"In light of this, and because of the potentially devastating consequences for hundreds of 

thousands Of people that premature ending Of refugee hosting would have, UNHCR is 

calling on the Government of Kenya to reconsider its decision and to avoid taking any 

action that might be at odds with its international obligations towards people needing 

sanctuary from danger and persecution," the agency said in a statement. 

UNHCR said it recognises that Kenya played an extraordinary role over decades as the 

leading nation among countries hosting refugees, which has had numerous consequences 

on the country's security and economy. 

The refugee agency argued it has closely supported Kenya and the hosted refugees, 

helping the country address concerns raised. 

"UNHCR has been, and will continue to be, in touch with the Kenyan government to fully 

understand the implications of its statement," the statement reads. 

Government stands its ground saying refugees are a burden 

However, the government yesterday stood its ground maintaining that refugees will be 

kicked out as their stay is a burden to the growth Of the country. 

"We are not in a position to quantify the burden of indirect and direct burden to the 

country, but we have pressure from Other development projects, National Treasury CS 

Henry Rotich said yesterday. 

He spoke during the 66th celebration to mark Europe Day at the European Union Nairobi 

residency. 

Rotich said Kenya will at the same time continue engaging global partners for a lasting 

solution to address the civil wars in the region so that people in the horn Of Africa can 

settle down to focus on development projects. 

EU Ambassador Stefano Dejak said there were new challenges, following the increased 

number of refugees in the region that requires urgent attention. 

"We are aware of emerging challenges following the high numbers of refugees being 

hosted in Kenya but I am very confident that with renewed political dialogue, we IKenya 

and Europel will be in a position to address some of the issues raised," he said. 

Dejak thanked Kenya for hosting refugees for years and said Europe is also experiencing 

similar problems. 

Citation: Koech, Gilbert. "Please Do Not Kick out Needy Refugees from Camps – UNHCR." 

The Star, Kenya. The Star, Kenya, 10 May 2016. Web. 10 May 2016. <http://www.the-star.co.ke/

news/2016/05/10/please-do-not-kick-out-needy-refugees-from-camps-unhcr_c1347411>.

Response: This article talked about the current issue that Kenya is facing with the burden

of taking in refugees. The UNHCR has asked that Kenya not do this because some of the 

refugees may really struggle if turned out from the camps too early.  This article does not 

have a very clear bias, but many of the comments were upset with the UNHCR for asking 

Kenya to do more than what they have done over many years. I do understand that taking in 

refugees may be a big burden, but I don't think that the correct response is to just remove 

the camps all of the sudden. Overall, I think this article did give some good information on 

a couple of outsider's opinions on the matter but did not necessarily address Kenya's 

specific reasons for this decision.