Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 707427,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/707427/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 149,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 3036,
        "legal_name": "Timothy Wanyonyi Wetangula",
        "slug": "timothy-wanyonyi-wetangula"
    },
    "content": "education. I believe integrating refugees some of who are professionals in their own right will help in some way in dealing with some issues that affect the local communities. It is also important that the Commission also informs the refugees when they integrate them to the host community. Being a refugee does not take away your rights; you still remain a human being. So, human rights issues still apply to refugees. It is only that they are given duties. For example, refugees have to respect the people hosting them. As a refugee you are also supposed to behave and conform to the laws governing the host nation. Those are some of things that are captured in the UN Convention on Refugees. I believe that when we start looking into these issues concerning refugees, especially now that the Government has planned to repatriate them to Somalia--- We are a member state of the UN and the international community and the issue of refugees is an international problem. As we repatriate the refugees, we must look into the concerns that are being raised by the international community. We have had very bad experiences of criminals taking advantage of the refugee situation in the country and then harming us. I am talking specifically about terrorists. They have been using the refugee camps as a hideout, but that should not make us stop hosting refugees. We can still deal with it as a security issue. It is important that we address the issues being raised by the international community. You realize that what has happened in Syria has awakened the world. This is because some of the countries that were shouting the loudest and forcing Kenya to keep refugees have now realized that the refugee issue is a very serious problem. They must now address the issue of stability in those countries where the refugees are coming from. When there is instability in a region, especially in our region here, we must deal with it. As we host refugees, we must deal with the issues of peace within the refugees’ home nations. This will enable them go back home safely. At this point, let me talk about South Sudan. We have withdrawn our troops from South Sudan yet we are still hosting refugees. Some of these people are likely to become a risk to our security. They could be used to revenge upon us simply because Kenya has withdrawn its concern about their country’s welfare. We must look at such an issue very carefully. As we deal with the refugees, we must also know that Kenya is signatory to some of the international instruments that address the plight of refugees and asylum seekers. Let us not forget that even Kenya has had refugees in Uganda. A number of them have been camping outside Parliament for some time now. They took refuge in Uganda during the 2008 post-election violence. They have now come back to look for resettlement. It is now clear that resettlement is also an issue that needs to be looked at carefully by the hosting community and the Commission. There is also an important thing that this Bill raises, which is about the hosting community integrating refugees in the local community. It is an issue that will be addressed by the county government, the national Government and the UNHCR. They need to make sure that the matter is dealt with in a very humane way. Even when designating areas for the refugees, it is important to involve the hosting community to ensure that there is no pressure on the environment. Currently, there is so much pressure on our resources and that could easily bring about conflict between the refugees and the hosting community. In a refugee camp, you will find so many resources, including water. Members of the local community also access such resources. If you go to Dadaab and other areas where there is scarcity of water you will find boreholes. The local community is sometimes not allowed to access the water points and so it breeds conflict between them and the refugees. As a Committee, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}