Police are investigating active cases of insecurity in Kakuma, Turkana West, after reports of clashes between refugees in the camp.
Kakuma Camp, once a safe place where refugees fleeing from unstable conditions in their countries felt secure and called home, is no longer as safe as they recall.
The situation in the camp has changed, and the refugees are facing insecurity despite the recent launch of the Shirika Plan by President William Ruto.
Recounting the insecurity, one of the refugees revealed that the main issue causing the unrest is the integration process, where the Kenyan government has rolled out the Shirika Plan to integrate the refugees into the Kenyan community.
According to the resident, insecurity has been at its peak in the area, with cases of theft and attacks happening in broad daylight.
"The situation is very sad. There is an area here called Alupe Learning Center where you cannot pass with your phone. It will be forcefully taken, and if you refuse to surrender it, you will be attacked and hacked with a machete on your head," Ekale Ekuru, a resident of Kakuma, narrated.
Ekuru is a victim of the clashes after he was stabbed in the neck and had his finger chopped off by a fellow refugee from South Sudan.
"I was not born like this; I had all my ten fingers, but I lost one because of the insecurity we face. One day, I was attacked by my fellow refugees from the camp, particularly a South Sudanese. They stabbed me in the neck, took my phone, and then dragged my unconscious body and dumped me on top of a grave. I got help after I woke up and borrowed a phone to call my family," he recounted.
Regarding integration, the victim argued that it was not a suitable approach, insisting that refugees should remain in the camps until peace is restored in their home countries, at which point they can return.
"I highly doubt this issue of integration. These people are supposed to stay in the place where they were allocated, and when peace is restored in their countries, there should be voluntary repatriation where everyone is free to go back to their country of birth," he explained.
The refugees argue that integrating them into the Kenyan communities will lead to them losing their identity and culture.
On March 25, the president launched the Shirika Plan, hailing the move as a legal framework for the government to provide long-term solutions for refugees.
Apart from the refugees, several Turkana residents are also against the move, arguing that the region cannot sustain itself yet, let alone integrate refugees into their community.
