Attorney General (AG) Githu Muigai has said that the closure of Daabab camp is not against the law and the process will proceed as planned without contravening the international humanitarian law.

Githu Muigai, who was speaking at the opening of the 4th Regional Seminar on National Implementation of International Humanitarian Law at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, yesterday said that the government had made efforts under the Amisom contingent to liberate large parts of Somalia.

“The Government has for many years and at times on its own played a significant part in ensuring peace and stability returns to Somalia. It is important to note that this decision is also based on the practical realities of protracted refugee statuses that have had adverse effects on socio-economic and political circumstances of host nations and especially in Kenya,” said Prof Githu.

The government recently announced plans to close down Daadab and Kakuma refugee camp in November this year, in what it refers to as a security measure for Kenya, arguing that that the camps have become hosting grounds for Al-Shabaab as well as centres of smuggling and contraband trade besides being enablers of illicit weapons proliferation.

The interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said that repatriation of the refugees will be done in a humane way and that an 11-member team has compiled a report on how the repatriation will be done.

“The decision we made to close the camp is explicit and final. We shall hand over the report on how we intend to handle the process to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” said Mr Nkaissery in a previous press briefing.
Nkaisserry had previously said that the decision to close the camp was arrived at in November 2013, when Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR signed tripartite Agreement setting grounds for repatriation of Somali refugees.