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"id": 234579,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Konchella",
"speaker_title": "The Minister of State for Immigration and Registration of Persons",
"speaker": {
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"legal_name": "Gideon Sitelu Konchella",
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I hope I will not be interrupted because of the interests of other hon. Members. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the hon. Members who have contributed to the debate on the Refugees Bill. This is a very important Bill for this country. Kenya is the only country in the world that has abrogated its national sovereignty to the United Nations agencies through the lack of a law to manage refugees. These refugees come to Kenya to seek safety and protection because of various situations in their own countries. This particular Bill will enable the Government to take charge of the management of refugees who have run away from their countries because of insecurity. We want them to live comfortably like all of us. The Bill will enable the refugees to be protected. It will also enable them enjoy various rights as entrenched in various United Nations' charters. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, listening to the contribution by hon. Members, I am happy that they are prepared to pass this Bill, so that we can protect refugees in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, l have looked at some of the issues raised by hon. Members, particularly those from hosting communities like Messrs. Ethuro and Dahir and, indeed, they bore the brunt of the refugees. This is the opportunity for these communities to address these 3712 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 15, 2006 problems, so that they are able to live comfortably. We want a law that can protect them. The host communities have never been taken care of. Some hon. Members expressed fear that if those refugees go back to their countries, some of the towns will cease to exist. It is true because the purpose for which these funds were being utilised and spent by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other United Nations agencies, was simply for the interest of the refugees. However, the Kenyan communities who are the hosts and who have protected these people do not benefit. The issue of permanent residence of refugees has been provided for in the Bill. In future, refugees who stay long enough in the host country and feel that due to threats on their lives, they are unable to go back to their countries. If they have stayed long, the laws of the country must address the issue of permanent residence, so that they are able to live like any other Kenyans. We expect them to work and pay taxes as was suggested by hon. Members. Early this year, we started registering refugees. We registered over 50,000 aliens in Eastleigh alone. That exercise will go on throughout the country. It is so crucial that this House should give enough funds to the Ministry, particularly when we establish the National Commission for Refugees (NCR), so that they can register all aliens in this country. This registration is very crucial for the protection and security of this country. We do not want them to acquire illegal documents, like they are doing and then end up in prison once they are discovered. The Immigration Department is arresting a lot of people who have falsified documentation. Some of these refugees do this because they want to live in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, some of the issues raised include that of employment of the locals, particularly the host communities. This Bill will address that particular area through regulations which we will follow to operationalise this Bill. We will have a percentage of locals who must be employed, for example, drivers and cleaners as opposed to importing people and not allowing the local people to benefit out of the funds. There is also the issue of the movement of refugees which was raised, particularly by the Minister of State for Administration and National Security. This issue is very crucial because, when you visit Dadaab Refugee Camp, it was rightly said that the refugees move in and out of the camp even crossing back to Somalia. This is how we end up getting a lot of firearms into our cities and towns because these people are not confined to camps and they are also not restricted. They should be confined so that they are not able to trade and acquire firearms to sell for their survival. We, as a Ministry, want to register these refugees, give each of them an identification card and allow them to live anywhere in the country. They should also be able to seek employment anywhere in the country. Since we have a record of them, they are not likely to engage in thuggery because they also need protection and security for their families. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I believe there are issues of human rights, which Ms. Ndung'u brought up. She indicated that she will bring them up in form of amendments. The Bill also allows some of the refugees to be relating with their families, so that they do not suffer the indignity of being separated from their families in accordance with the Geneva Convention and other conventions. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is a lot of interference from the Front Bench!"
}