Category: Letter from the Editor

Dear KANERE readers here & abroad,

The future is unpredictable at the cosmopolitan camp of Kakuma! The refugees are fed on rations, schooled, used as tool of aid promotion and warehoused! And who knows what lies ahead? But you can speculate!

In this issue, we focus on different stories: The South Sudanese crisis has massively impacted Kakuma with more than 20,000 new arrivals seeking asylum in Kenya since the start of violent conflict in Juba in December. The camp has literally changed from the makuti thatched roofs and old mud walls to a tent city.

In the months of January through March, Kakuma experienced hectic weather conditions compounded by the high temperatures, dry spell and dust storms. On many occasions, huge sandstorms have swept through the settlement, which was believed to be the root cause of fire outbreak of which more than ten incidents were reported. Kakuma 4 settlement area had the worst experiences of the dust storms in the open space.

A murder scene at Kakuma 1 has created tension between refugees and the host community when a local Turkana man who deliberately stabbed a refugee child to death was killed by a group of refugees from the Didinga community; while the makers of illicit alcoholic drinks have suffered the negative outcome of the Police raid.

From Dadaab refugee complex, the security situation continues to fluctuate. On 8 January, an improvised explosive device was detonated on the road between Dadaab and Dagahaley camps that was set to target the police vehicle which escorted the humanitarian workers to the camps. All humanitarian activities were suspended in the field following a security assessment, and normal activities resumed after a week.

Moreover, on 4 January fire broke out in Dagahaley’s MSF medical warehouse in the MSF residential compound, destroying all drugs, medical equipments and therapeutic food stock which was estimated to cover four to six months – all burnt to ashes. According to the official camp report, the cause of the fire is suspected to be an electrical fault.

For Turkana County, the calamitous drought has already aggravated the suffering of thousands of victims, where residents live a nomadic way of life with their animals. The starvation has become a double disaster for the county population, including the refugees who were affected by the cut in the food rations since 2013.

And finally, a Journalism workshop was offered by KANERE in partnership with the Arrupe Learning Center in the Camp. The workshop invited youths in the community to engage in interactive discussions and critical thinking. KANERE will aim to provide more media training opportunities to empower refugee youths to be potential storytellers and news gatherers.

The story of a Turkana wedding ceremony was an intercultural high point and enhancement of religion and diversity in old Kakuma refugee camp.

As always, we’ve missed a few spots. However, we’re dedicated to the spirit of a free press and to autonomy of critical thinking. We are asking for contributions from general readers and most specifically from the elite refugee youths in telling local stories.

We hope that you’ll enjoy reading KANERE News,

Truthfully,

Qaabata Boru – KANERE Editorial Executive

Dear KANERE readers,

This is the last issue of the recently concluded year 2013, but there are still very many stories and news around the camp within the Turkana country that were left untold. Of course, we may not be able to accomplish everything and human resources are highly needed to help the refugee media to achieve its objectives.

However, we are continually making changes to improve refugee reporting in an open, transparent and free expression in comparison to humanitarian desired reporting on refugee protection and service deliveries in encampment. We will strive hard to remain vibrant in 2014.

In this issue we welcome a contribution from Brett Shadle, an Associate Professor of African History at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. His contribution focuses on refugee rights violations under warehousing, questioning whether the refugees have the right to know about the impacts of decision making on their futures and life as they live in limbo!

We are tapping into the human aspect on the escalating deadly violence within the Turkana country that claimed at least 25 lives between the two rival communities of Turkana and Pokot in the fall of last year. The two nomadic groups often clash over cattle rustling and boundary disputes.

KANERE has interviewed a large number of Somali refugees on the community talking point: “What do you think about the Somali repatriation?” Their perspectives constitute a range of public opinion!

In Kakuma 1 camp settlement, a family mourns after their residential house burst into flames killing three children last December, that left unforgettable sad memories for many residents. In line with humanitarian best practices, the Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK) organized legal awareness forums in the season of the 16 Days of Gender Activism throughout Kakuma. The RCK’s legal awareness training was mostly welcomed as it was found meaningful by refugee communities in terms of their pro bono legal advice for refugees in the camp.

Moreover, the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process has slowly been taken over from the UN Refugee Agency – UNHCR by the Kenyan Government through the Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA), which has assumed full responsibility for the RSD process in Kakuma refugee camp. In 1991, in unclear circumstances, UNHCR was given the responsibility of conducting the RSD on behalf of the Kenyan government. However after many decades of UNHCR performing the vital role of the state, the refugees and asylum seekers are unclear about UNHCR’s accountability! Have they failed the refugees?

On press freedom, one alarming incident was recorded over the year where a Kanere reporter was assaulted and his cell phone crushed by an NGO local guard as he photographed an event in September 2013. The matter was reported to the police and justice is waiting to be done on the case.

On behalf of all the members of KANERE team, I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year 2014 with more peace and freedom.

We love to hear your feedback,

Sincerely,

Qaabata Boru – Kanere Editorial Executive 

Dear Kanere community here & abroad,

Foremost, it’s with great enthusiasm that we announce that Kakuma News Reflector (or KANERE) has obtained its registration status as a national Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Kenya. KANERE strongly welcomes further collaboration from all the Government Departments within Turkana County, the Department of Refugee Affairs, the UNHCR Head of Sub-Office and other humanitarian agencies in Kakuma.

Currently, Kanere is being published on quarterly basis until better funding is available for a monthly or a more regular publication. In this issue, we discuss different patterns of news and incidents that took place inside and outside the refugee camp that affected the refugees in Kenya.

In the camp, some sad news concerned the inter-communal conflicts which persisted inside the camp. In the month of September inter-communal fights escalated between Nuer and Gambella-Anyuak where more than twenty people sustained injuries. However, in the middle of this year at least eight people were killed in the similar violence in the camp, a story featured in this edition.

Food rations were reduced, while since October collection of food in every distribution in Kakuma and Dadaab Complex has been based on an online fingerprinting system. This move has caused instability and alarm to the beneficiaries of food aid. According to the refugee communities, the introduction of “No match no food” in the bio-metric food collection system was largely opposed, but the World Food Program (WFP) stated that the move was to enhance transparency and accountability in food distribution and monitoring.

In the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the Westgate terror attack had negative implications for refugees. The Kenya security machinery had to crack down in Kenya’s metropolis and major cities in the hunt for possible culprits, leading to arbitrary arrest and detentions of innocent refugees.

Following this insecurity, pressure has mounted in Kenya to close refugee camps and to return all Somali refugees to Mogadishu. The Governments of Kenya and Somalia have since worked closely with the UNHCR, establishing a Tripartite Commission on Standards and Procedures of voluntary repatriation for Somalis that was signed in Nairobi on Sunday 10 November, 2013.

However, since the Tripartite Commission was set up, xenophobia against Somali refugees has been on the rise both in camps and urban areas.

Nonetheless, the first (2010) Cohort to study in the Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins online learning program received their Diplomas in Liberal Studies at a graduation ceremony at the Arrupe learning center.

On the international scene, Italy declared a national day of mourning after a boat packed with African migrants caught fire and sank off the island of Lampedusa, killing at least 300 people in October alone.

As an independent refugee media organization, Kanere seeks support and welcomes funding and material support from the UNHCR and any interested donors, either local or at the international level.

Have a wonderful day,

Signed,

Qaabata Boru

Editorial Executive – Kanere

To our esteemed readers here and abroad,

On the 22^nd of December 2012, KANERE celebrated its 4^th year anniversary. On this important occasion, Kanere looks back on different security threats suffered by staffs imposed by camp authority, reporting difficulties and lack of operational funding over years delaying publications for months.

Since KANERE started several camp developments took positive effect. The paper fosters the involvement of civil society in a situation where the camp authorities never wish to allow free flow of information. We therefore inform authorities in refugee protection once again, that the existence of Independent refugee media is necessary to any open and democratic society including refugee camps. The UNHCR and other humanitarian operations, had only to suggest the use of force to suppress reporters due to the politicized camp structure where compromise jeopardizes the safety and protection of true refugee journalists.

In the regional news, a literally named “Little Mogadishu” in Nairobi has experienced several grenade explosions with many lives lost in the month of December alone. This has caused the Kenyan government to call on all refugees to move to camps with immediate effect and threatening to withdraw all aid to refugees living in urban areas. By mid December there have been arbitrary arrests of refugees residing in areas of Eastleigh, Nairobi. Is this an appropriate response to security concerns? Kanere appeals against this move, as it’s discriminatory and a violation of freedom of movement.

In Turkana District several incidents of cattle rustling were reported frequently between Turkana herders and Pokot raiders. To curb the rustling menace government has started a disarmament operation in west Pokot among other districts in the region.

On Wednesday 24^th October, Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Missned of Qatar and Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees made a visit to Kakuma. The purpose of the visit was for the Sheikha to familiarize herself with refugee education in this camp in connection with the Educate a Child Initiative which she is launching in collaboration with UNHCR.

On 26^th October, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, H.E. Anne Richard, visited Kakuma as part of her mission to Kenya. Refugee leaders were able to make the case that half of the camp residents would need resettlement abroad as a durable solution for protracted displacement.

In this edition numerous accounts of sexual violence have persisted. A Somali woman aged 50 was gang raped and two others suffered similar assault at gunpoint. A defilement story of a schoolgoing refugee child tells the magnitude of prevailing sexual exploitation and abuse committed by guards.  Meanwhile in August, the camp residents staged a protest after continued insecurity where refugees are killed by gunshots. A journalist at Kanere was blocked and threatened for covering the riots.

KANERE welcomes Awet Andemicael, a Doctoral student from Yale University in USA, providing refugees with insight about the importance of artistic events in refugee camps. Her article on the subject teaches that in a warehousing situation where refugees live every day of their life with fear, insecurity, isolation, and boredom, the introduction of artistic events can make a real difference.

For Rwandan refugees the worst morning is awaiting those who are still alive when application of the cessation clause on June 30th, 2013 shall revoke their refugee brand ‘ration cards’ in Kakuma.

Despite the continued challenges, Kanere aims to improve the human rights condition in refugee camps through courageous and independent journalism that adheres to the highest integrity, accuracy and ethical conduct.

Finally, we direct our readers and audience to read our site, ‘like’ our facebook page at this link, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kanere-News/161557433968809, share out and keep lively discussion of what is of value and to be addressed.

We wish you a prosperous Happy New Year 2013,

Signed,

Qaabata Boru

KANERE editor in chief

Dear KANERE readers and prospective supporters,

We here at Kakuma and its environs are experiencing very hot, dry weather with plenty of dust storms at the moment. The number of refugees in Kakuma grows everyday. The security situation, however, is not adjusted for these numbers and has been deteriorating. The relationship between refugees and the host community population continues to be unstable. It was sad that there were no new publications from KANERE since last year, but we hope that this edition will be more comprehensive and will cover more aspects of camp life.

To reduce the risk of crime inside the camp proper security measures are required. The security situation in Turkana County, along the international boarders with South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia has been reported to be calm. In the fall of 2011, however, security alertness was enhanced for humanitarian operations in camps like the Daadab Complex following the ongoing efforts of the Kenya Defense Forces in Somalia against Al–Shabaab. At Kakuma, there was no alarming security threat though alertness was enhanced in the compounds and along the Kakuma airstrip.

Several cattle raids have been reported among Turkana and Pokot herders who are from Turkana East and South Districts. Jie and Topozas cattle raiders from Uganda remain hostile to Turkana. These situations escalate over scarce pasture and water due to a long dry season. The main highway through the North western corridor from Kitale – Lodwar – Kakuma – Lokichokio has also experienced incidents and confrontations with bandits; however the UN and NGOs staff at Kakuma are accustomed to use armed police escorts on this highway.

I want to note my sincere appreciation for KANERE journalists who have tirelessly worked on this edition entirely on a voluntary basis. It is not easy running a newspaper without funding. We want to also thank the KANERE community here and abroad for their legal and moral support of our work. We need this support so that publication can continue on a bimonthly basis. This issue will cover different developments that have happened in the camp since last November. Though this publication has been delayed, we hope our readers will find it useful and worthwhile coverage.

The new camp address initiative has been welcomed by camp residents. Shelter inadequacies have been a serious problem in the camp leading not only to congestion but also to the tragic death of a child upon the collapse of a house. A murder occurred and violent robberies have terrorized residents of the camp. For Rwandans the refugee ‘cessation clause’ seems like a death penalty. Many efforts were made to postpone the previous UNHCR deadline for revoking refugee status from already recognized persons or group. The new Camp Constitution and election procedures have divided public opinion in the camp.

Refugee encampment and warehousing policies have ‘highly politicized meaning’ that drive donors to give aid to ensure and sustain the survival of innocent victims of violent power struggles. The warehousing situation has distorted refugee understanding of how they are forced to migrate from they home to arrive in situations of harm, humiliation, degradation and abuse in various camp settlements around the world. More than 100 refugees were arrested and questioned last December over the explosion at the Ifo Refugee Camp in Dadaab complex. This created waves of insecurity in refugee camps across the country where movement of refugees out of the camps has been severely restricted.

Camps should provide better protection. Refugees should not be overlooked. Educated and talented refugees who were once civil servants, refugee activists and exiled journalists are not allowed to exercise their talents in their host countries. KANERE urges that refugees in Kenyan camps and around the globe be given dignified recognition of ‘full’ not just ‘basic’ human rights. They deserve to be treated professionally. The 1951 Refugee Convection states the ‘basic’ rights which have become fundamental, such as the ‘refugee’ definition and their right to ‘non-refoulement’. Refugees should not merely be warehoused in camps, sheltered and fed on 3gms of cereals per day. They are productive citizens of the world. The UN and world leaders should recognize the contributions of noble men and women who were once refugees like Albert Einstein and Madeleine Albright.

We hope you will enjoy reading this KANERE issue. We welcome your lively comments, contributions and questions. You can write to us at: kakuma.news@gmail.com

Sincerely,

KANERE Editor in Chief,