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{
    "id": 711800,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/711800/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 57,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kang’ata",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1826,
        "legal_name": "Irungu Kang'ata",
        "slug": "irungu-kangata"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, I take this opportunity to support the Bill brought by the Member for Ndhiwa, Hon. Neto. I support refugee rights, but we need to debate as to whether the best protection to refugees is where you integrate them in society or you keep them in one location. Kenya is a poor country, but we have been able to cater for refugees comparatively well. The way we have done it is incomparable to the way more advanced societies are doing it. I say that because I have been following news about the crisis of refugees in Europe on international channels. About 20,000 refugees entered Hungary and the political class and the public at large became jittery. The refugee crisis has enabled right wing political parties to assume power. It is now projected that an ultra-nationalistic party in France will emerge as the most popular party this coming election. The same trend appears to have underlined the Brexit vote and this can also explain the rise of Donald Trump in the United States of America (USA). In Kenya, we have been hosting almost one million refugees for very many years, but seemingly that has not affected our society negatively. I say kudos to our Government. I wish we could do the following. First, we may not be able to integrate refugees into our societies the way it is done in the west – they are not kept in one region rather they are integrated directly in the society. In Kenya, we have Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps. Those are more of concentration camps. However, that is based on our level of development. So, I still propose that we continue with that methodology pending economic opportunities where we may integrate refugees directly into our society. Secondly, Kenya bears a disproportionate burden when it comes to refugee management. The refugee problem is not purely a problem of the host country. What about the international partners and the UN? I am aware of the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugees Agency (UNRA). I urge the drafter of this Bill to ask himself how we can provide for legal mechanisms for better engagement between Kenya and the international partners. I say so because the resources required for refugees to maintain a good life can be quiet high. We should also look at this issue from the point of view of uplifting the living standards of Kenyans. I am aware that about 30,000 Kenyans are masquerading as refugees in Kakuma and Dadaab. It only means that those camps appear to be giving human beings a better livelihood as opposed to the one being provided by our society. 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."
}