The government is planning to resettle and reintegrate refugees in the country.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok says President William Ruto’s administration will not close any refugee camp .
“The current government wants to handle the refugee issue differently. The previous regime was a bit hostile. We are keen on resettlement of refugees,” he said.
Bitok says the government will rely on the Refugee Act 2021 which focuses more on re-integration.
However, Bitok said to do things differently to ensure they uphold the rights of refugees.
“We are going to handle refugees in the most humane way possible,” he said.
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Currently, Kenya hosts around 600,000 refugees, with 300,000 in both the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps.
PS Bitok pointed out that the recent re-opening of two refugee camps in Garissa is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to observe the rights and freedoms of refugees.
In regards to the policies on handling refugee issues, PS Bitok stated that the government handles each case equally without discrimination.
“We will have three databases; database for all Kenyans, for refugees, and all foreigners working and living in Kenya,” he said.