US to provide Kshs 19bn for Dadaab closure and electoral reforms

News & Politics
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US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) shakes hands with President Uhuru Kenyatta before their bilateral talks at the State House in Nairobi on August 22, 2016. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS MUKOYA

By GERALD ANDAE

Posted Monday, August 22 2016 at 20:25

The United States government will provide Sh17 billion for repatriation of refugees as Kenya pushes ahead with its plan to close the Dadaab camp by end of the year. Visiting Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in the country on a two-day tour, said an additional Sh2.5 billion would be released to support electoral reforms ahead of next year’s general elections.

“The US government will offer an assistance of $170 million for refugees, returnees and for the humanitarian aid in Kenya,” said Mr Kerry.

On electoral reforms, Mr Kerry urged political parties to resolve their disagreements on policy and process in regard to the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) reforms to ensure peace after the elections.

“The US is investing over $25 million in supporting Kenya’s electoral process that will be used in observation, and dispute resolution,” he said yesterday during a news conference in Nairobi.

He pointed out that the US does not support any party. “We support a free and fair election free of violent acts, this is your country and we will not step on anyone’s toes,” he said. He had in the morning held discussion with President Uhuru Kenyatta where among other things they canvassed the planned closure of Dadaab camp and the security situation in South Sudan. Mr Kerry and counterparts from six African nations met in Nairobi on Monday to discuss ways to prevent the world’s newest country from sliding back into civil war. World powers and regional states have struggled to find leverage over its warring factions. US and European sanctions on military leaders coupled with threats of punitive actions by African states have done little to dissuade the factions. Kenya has suffered attacks by Somali militants in the past three years and the government announced the closure of Dadaab camp despite calls from the international community to delay the move. Kenya, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and Somalia signed a tripartite agreement in 2013 on voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees, some of whom have lived in Dadaab for decades. Since then Kenya has said that the process of implementation has been slow. In May, the government released $10 million as well as gazetted a taskforce on repatriation of refugees to oversee, manage and expedite the process. Kenya is hosting more than 600,000 refugees, some for the last 25 years. Three quarters of the refugees in Kenya are from Somalia, many of whom fled famine and war between 2010 and 2012.Since 2011, Kenyan Defence Forces has been fighting the Somali extremist Al-Shabaab, which has retaliated by launching numerous attacks in the country, including Garissa attacks that killed 147 people and the Westgate mall that claimed 61 lives.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/US-to-provide-Sh19bn-for-Dadaab-closure-and-electoral-reforms/539546-3354288-on88r2/index.html

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@Jakoyo

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Fixed

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http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/3355026/highRes/1416328/-/maxw/600/-/4r1631z/-/dadaab-pic.jpg
Refugees wait at the Dadaab airstrip on June 16, 2016 as they prepare for repatriation to Somalia. The UNHCR has said 24,000 refugees have so far been assisted to voluntarily return to Somalia since a tripartite agreement was signed in 2014. FILE PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By ABDIMALIK HAJIR
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At least 24,000 refugees from the expansive Dadaab camp have so far been assisted to voluntarily return to Somalia since a tripartite agreement was signed in 2014, a senior UN official has said.Speaking during the commissioning of the Dadaab power station in Dadaab, Wella Kouyou, the deputy representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to Kenya, said in 2016 alone, 18,000 have voluntarily gone back to Somalia. Earlier this year, the Kenyan government announced that it would shut down the camp, saying it was a breeding ground for terrorists. The country had witnessed a series of attacks instigated by Al-Shabaab terrorists. One of the deadliest attacks was at Garissa University College in April 2015 in which over 140 people died, most of them students. Mr Kouyou said the UNHCR will continue to work with the government to ensure that refugees return to Somalia voluntarily and are accorded safety and dignity.

“We will also make sure that a rehabilitation programme for the refugees is carried out alongside the repatriation process. "We also thank the international community, from whom we continually sought support,” he said.

Human rights groups have warned the government against forcible repatriation of refugees to Somalia, arguing that the country is not yet stable.

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@Jakoyo is still busy fapping on the KQ thread, bad news helps him bust a nut

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I guess “electoral reform” means financing 2018 campaigns and fattening pockets of a few individuals :slight_smile:

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“The US is investing over $25 million in supporting Kenya’s electoral process that will be used in observation, and dispute resolution,” he said yesterday during a news conference in Nairobi.

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[SIZE=6]US announces $146 million for refugee support and return[/SIZE]
Aug 23, 2016 - jawaab - Viewed 44 times

The US has committed $146 million for humanitarian assistance to refugees in Kenya and the voluntary repatriation of Somalia refugees from Kenya’s Daadab camp. http://xogdoonnews.net/us-announces-146-million-for-refugee-support-and-return/

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When they say they will provide money they mean they are ready to give us a loan. Really do we need loan fir stupid things like election reforms. Why can’t they provide money to improve our hospitals

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Banana Republic

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Financial gurus.
If the US is neck deep in debt to China, where does it get the money to lend Kenya?
Same question I was asking myself when I read that Southern Sudan was seeking financial aid from Kenya.
Where does Kenya, a perennial borrower, get the money to give Southern Sudan?

Cc @Okiya.

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Treasury Bills and Treasury bonds.

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I see another subliminal message from BHO to JaKuon saying F.F.U.

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Haki Bingwa anarudishwa kwao Somalia sasa @Okiya follow up to Mathaais Q, if America borrows from China, China borrows from who? And is there a country without external debt?

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The borrowing of US from China sio kama hii yetu ya Kenya where we go to China and seek loans. Yao huwa in form of treasury bonds.

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Chinaman wanaombanga nani kwanza hio EXIM bank najua Mwagi wa Equity huimezea mate sana…and is there a country with no foreign debt

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Chinaman could be borrowing her own citizens . I doubt whether kuna country ambayo haina foreign debt but am no.student of economy.

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Confirmation of more funds to close the camp from UN Sec. Gen

World Bank is seeking innovative ways to support the establishment of economic zones that will create employment in refugee areas. President Jim Yong Kim said the Bank would like to support Kenya manage the repatriation of refugees in a dignified manner that will turn the Dadaab area into a vibrant economic zone. Kim was speaking in Nairobi during a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
He said World Bank is committed to a program that will fast-track support to Kenya on Dadaab, adding that they are putting together a fund that blends International Development Association with grant funding to support refugees in developing countries.

“The program would provide support for the establishment of an economic zone, create jobs in the host community and encourage cross border trade,” Kim said.

Uhuru outlined the rationale for Kenya’s decision to close down the Dadaab refugee camp.

“When human beings are caged in a camp for more than 20 years with few prospects to realize their aspirations the situation becomes a breeding ground for discontent and they become vulnerable to recruitment into criminal groups like the Al Shabaab,” he said.

Kim said World Bank understands Kenya’s concerns on the Dadaab refugees and supports it’s approach in addressing the issue. He welcomed Uhuru to a summit the will be held on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month where discussions on refugees will feature prominently.

“The World Bank is seeking to ensure that the focus of those discussions is not just on the impact of displacement on Europe but also on Kenya and other countries in the developing world,” Kim said.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and US President Barack Obama have called two high-level summits in New York in September to discuss the issue of refugees. Uhuru also met Yury Fedetov, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and discussed ways of countering drug trafficking based on building regional initiatives. The Head of State also held talks with African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina that focused on private sector involvement in Kenya’s infrastructure development