By Qaabata Boru – KANERE Investigative Writer November 2020
On the night of August 25, 2020, unidentified armed men confronted a young refugee outside his residence on block four in zone one of Kakuma camp one. The confrontation, which occurred around 3:30 in the morning, ended in a shooting which resulted in one death and one serious injury.
The motive of the attacks was not immediately established. The Block leader states that Block Four has been targeted for armed robbery a number of times since 2019.
Neighbors of the deceased have expressed concern for his family. “I fear for his mother as he was the only one who managed to feed and take care of her and he was the only son she had “a community chair lady told KANERE. A refugee community leader expressed concern over the emotional impact that this incident has had on the victim’s community: “This is a very sad moment for the family and communities. We are currently talking to the government and the UNHCR, as we are also calming affected families and our community members.”
For half a day after the incident, businesses at the central market in Kakuma camp one closed demanding more protection.
The recent incident appears to be the latest in a string of armed robberies in Kakuma. On August, 2nd unknown gunmen entered block ten of zone two in Kakuma camp one and broke into refugee houses. The intruders took food rations and non-food items including TV sets, mobile phones, and bags of clothes. Some gunshots were fired during the intrusions, but no one was reported to have been hurt.
Another armed robbery was reported to KANERE on August 26 at 11PM (local time). Intruders entered Block 12, zone one of Kakuma camp one and looted from refugee households. “While shooting, the robbers shoot guns and terrorize the residents.” Guri, a Block 12 resident, told KANERE. Kenya police were alerted of the incident and responded to the scene immediately.
The refugee community leaders have been invited by camp management to discuss peaceful approaches to address the violence and to calm the communities as the police search for the violent robbers, who have continued to terrorize local residents at night throughout the week.
Following the murder on of August 25 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued a condolence statement: “we are working closely with the law enforcement to enhance the security of the camp during this challenging time.”
However, on October 17, 2020 the same Block was raided by a group of unidentified gunmen. No injuries were associated with this incident. However, locals express fear that the armed robberies will continue to threaten safety and security in the camps. “Violent robbers have been common in this block since last year and we need urgent protection from UNHCR, “says Dendir, a 37-year-old who has resided in Block Four, Camp 1 for six years.
Three months later, there has been no confirmed case of arrests in connection to August 25th robbery with violence that has left families and communities traumatized.
In an interview, the victim families expressed lack of legal protection including the inability to file the matter before the Kenyan court of law stating the Kakuma police declined to file victims’ cases before the court in a situation where refugees were robbed or killed by unknown assailants.
“We have no protection, no option and police refused to record our statement citing that we don’t know the killer of our son.” Victim’s close family members told KANERE.
Several attempts to contact Kakuma police were unsuccessful as phone calls were not being answered at the time of publishing this story.