Kiminini MP Kakai Bissau has called on the United Nation’s Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to ensure refugee camps in Uganda have human conditions to offer asylum to refugees fleeing war torn Congo and Burundi countries.
Kiminini legislatoru spoke this while addressing a team of refugees from Congo and Burundi who have been pitching tent at the Kitale ASK showground for the last two weeks after they escaped from refugee camps in Uganda where they are headed to Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana County.
“UNHCR must ensure that the refugee camps in Uganda offer essential needs to the refugees who have sought asylum in the country. It is worrying that most of them are fleeing their camps to seek asylum in
Kenya,” he said.
The MP, a former employee at UN blamed them over what he termed as negligence in the manner it handled the plights facing refugees at Uganda.
The refugees said they had to flee to Kenya after facing a humanitarian crisis in Uganda where they had no access to basic necessities like food, medication and water despite having their details captured for assistance.
Most affected are women and children who are facing hunger and starvation as the living conditions in the camps are dire and need assistance that is lacking in the camp.
Three women gave birth while in the camp and called upon the well wishers to help them as they grapple with several challenges bedeviling them in the camp and blamed Uganda UNHRC office over what they claimed as they undergo difficult living conditions.
“Some of the officials at Kiryandongo Settlement refugee camp used to take advantage of situations to enrich themselves while we were left to survive on our own. We had to seek new refuge in Kenya,” said Ms Kapou who is from Goma Congo.
According to Kenya Red Cross Society County Coordinator Ruth Miningwo, at least 8,468 refugees have been received at the Kitale transit center in Western Kenya since January.
Miningwo said the majority of the refugees are from the DRC and Burundi, and a few are from Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.
“We are receiving between 600 and 800 refugees weekly, and since January we have had over 8000 arrivals. Women and children form 60 percent of the families,” said Miningwo, adding that the transit
center has the capacity to hold about 200 people while the new waves of arrivals have overstretched it.
Refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) flee from clashes between the M23 and the Congolese army in the Kivu region while those from Burundi are fleeing politically instigated violence.