BY STAR EDITOR

DEPUTY President William Ruto over the weekend said that the UNHCR has three months to close Dadaab refugee camp, or the government will itself relocate the refugees back to Somalia.

This kneejerk reaction is a strategic error.

Firstly there is no evidence that the Garissa attack was linked to refugees from Daadab. The attackers crossed the border near Garissa and slept in a hotel in town (not in a refugee camp!).

Secondly Kenya is a signatory to the international treaty that set up the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. That treaty obliges all signatories to accept refugees in their countries. Kenya would wreck its global image if it spat on its international obligations.

Thirdly there are around 500,000 refugees in Dadaab. The cost of supporting them is met by the international community, not by Kenya. This brings around $200 million a year into the Kenyan economy. Kenya actually profits from hosting Dadaab. Why throw that away?

Finally, how many people is Kenya going to throw out of the country to make it safe? Every single Somali? Every single Muslim? Every single Coastal person? Every Sabaot? Every Mungiki?

Closing Dadaab is not the solution to the problem of insecurity in Kenya.

Source: The Star