UK announces Sh2.7B more for repatriation of Dadaab refugees
By Margaret Kalekye/Release
The British Government has announced an additional Ksh 2.7B (£20 million) to accelerate the voluntary return of refugees to Somalia from Kenya.
This new support will help ensure that refugees who want to return home have the support and livelihoods in place to ensure their safe, long-term resettlement in Somalia.
Of the £20 million, £4million (approx Ksh 529m) will be spent in Kenya to identify and register Somali refugees who want to return, and provide safe routes of transport from Kenya.
The remainder of the funds will go into providing shelter, hygiene kits and the essentials for people to return and resume a normal life in Somalia.
Speaking after the announcement, British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey said:
“The UK has long supported Kenya as it provides refuge to those fleeing conflict and hunger elsewhere in East Africa, as the second largest donor to refugee assistance here”
He added “this new funding will go directly to helping Somali refugees return home from Dadaab, in a way which is safe, voluntary, dignified, and allows them to build a better future for themselves and their families.”
The increased support to refugees in Kenya builds on the UK’s leading role as the second largest donor to refugee operations in Kenya since 2012, providing Ksh 9.6B (£72 million) to support the protection and assistance needs of the refugee population in Kenya.
The UK is already working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support voluntary returns and has helped over 12,000 people return to Somalia in 2016, giving people the choice about where they build their livelihoods.
In her first address to the UN General Assembly in New York, UK Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged the challenges of refugees and host countries and reiterated the UK’s commitment to global humanitarian assistance:
“Across the world today, there are 65 million people who have been forcibly displaced. That it is equivalent to the entire population of the United Kingdom. It is an unprecedented figure, one that has almost doubled in a decade. And yet UN appeals are underfunded; host countries are not getting enough support; and refugees are not getting the aid, education and economic opportunities they need. We must do more. And as the second largest bi-lateral provider of assistance, the UK remains fully committed to playing a leading role.”
UNGA summit
President Uhuru Kenyatta who is attending the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) currently underway in New York met with President Obama and discussed the global refugee crisis.
President Kenyatta urged the U.S. President to support ongoing efforts to secure Somalia and create a politically stable environment to which refugees would feel safe to return.
President Kenyatta assured President Obama that Kenya continues to work towards the safe and dignified repatriation of refugees from the Dadaab camp in northern Kenya to Somalia, in accordance with the norms of the international community.
