Quotes of the Month November-December 2013 Edition

“We could not establish the cause of the fire and had no knowledge why the kid’s mother had tied her son in chains except that the boy had mental problems,”

– local security guard told Kanere/ “House fire killed three children”

“We have already taken over the full responsibility for the RSD process from the UNHCR,”

– DRA official in Kakuma office disclosed/ “RSD Transition”

“These forums will target largely the new arrivals among others to enlighten them on the laws as per the Refugee Act, their rights and obligations,”

– Martin Pepela – Programme manager RCK Kakuma – told Kanere/ “RCK’s Legal Awareness Forums”

“I was born in Kenya (Malindi) but my parents came from Kismayo. I am living with nine members of my family in Kakuma. I have never been to Somalia and all I know is about Kenya but despite the fact of owning a nationality by virtue of birth I don’t have a Kenyan Citizenship. The repatriation of Somalis could be premature. The country is not safe or stable. It might have improved by 50% but it’s not the right time to return refugees into that war-torn place. I think the refugee leaders should be allowed to go and see and return mission to understand current situation of peace in Somalia. Therefore, while life in exile is unpredictable the Somali refugees should not be forced to return to Somalia,”

– Ahmed Yusuf, a student at Bor-town secondary school/ “Community Talking Points: Somali repatriation”

“Most of the locals have guns because the two counties share porous borders with Uganda and S. Sudan where they import the firearms from,”

                   – a North Pokot government official said in a comment/ “Pokot militia besiege Turkana villages”

“Refugee communities tremendously thanked your advocacy role and provision to accompany and protect refugee rights in Kenya,”

–  a Congolese Zone 3 refugee leader recognized/ “RCK’s Legal Awareness Forums”   

 

“I ran out of my house due to huge smoke and I saw the house was burning from its roof,”

– Mohamed Qarnole/ “House fire killed three children”

 

“My habitual residence was in Gedo before I fled to Kenya in 2000. The peace in Somalia is still in the hand of the terrorist groups, thus I can’t go back now. The solution would be to make the ground safer for the returnees. People should be able to have access to social needs such as the rights to education, health care and food security. Therefore the International community should facilitate a better structured security for the returnees. You should not just decided to throw people like stones into the desert and watch them dying shamelessly. It may not add value to humanity,”

– M. Said, a social worker with LWF/ “Community Talking Points: Somali repatriation”