OCHA Situation Report No. 9
Uganda: Kenyan Refugees
22 February 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

The information contained in this report has been gathered by the Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) from sources including
the Government of Uganda, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and
the Uganda Red Cross Society.

HIGHLIGHTS

- 1,924 Refugees Registered at Mulanda Transit Centre as of 21 February
- Action Aid to Target 3,000 Refugees in Bukwo and Kapchorwa
- Rehabilitation of St. Jude's Primary School at Malaba (Tororo District)
   Urgently Requested


Situation Overview

1. The mediation effort led by former United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan continues in Nairobi, centred on working out a power-sharing
agreement acceptable to both the Government and opposition.

2. On Thursday 21 February, media reports indicated the adjournment of the
talks until Friday, to allow for consultations on current negotiations,
which are reported to include the creation of the position of Prime
Minister, to be held by the opposition.

3. In a report also released on 21 February, the advocacy organization,
International Crisis Group (ICG) warned that armed groups could unleash a
new wave of violence in Kenya if the mediation efforts do not provide an
urgent solution.

4. Since the outbreak of the violence in the wake of the 27 December 2007
presidential and parliamentary elections, more than 1,000 people have been
killed and some 600,000 have been displaced, according to the Kenyan Red
Cross Society. At least 12,000 of the displaced have crossed into Uganda,
according to the Government of Uganda estimate.

5. New arrivals continue to be registered at the Mulanda Transit Centre,
with some refugees reporting the limited humanitarian response available
to internally displaced persons in Kenya and depletion of host community
capacity in Uganda as the reason for their movement. An estimated 30
Kenyans were reportedly awaiting transport to the Mulanda Transit Centre
at the Lwakhakha border crossing (Manafwa District).

6. As of 21 February, 1,924 refugees had registered at the Mulanda Transit
Centre; approximately 45 per cent of the registered refugees are children.
The transit centre is managed by the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR
and Tororo District Authorities, in partnership with the Uganda Red Cross
Society (URCS) and with the support of other humanitarian agencies.

7. According to the refugees living at Mulanda, the majority of men
continue to monitor the situation in their home country by returning
temporarily.

8. Meanwhile, authorities at the border note that business seems to be
normalizing in the town of Busia on the Kenyan side of the border, with 90
per cent of shops reportedly reopened. Road access has increased with
increased traffic flow, while 50 per cent of the population entering
Uganda this week has been students reporting back to schools in Uganda, 20
per cent ordinary transit and 30 per cent members of the business
community.

Priority Needs

9. The following have been highlighted by partners in the response as
being among the priority needs:

- Cooking fuel - fire risk is increased by the use of firewood to cook in
the absence of sufficient charcoal stocks;

- Increased health care capacity at the Mulanda Health Centre IV;

- Information, Communications and Education (ICE) materials in Kiswahili,
including on HIV/AIDS;

- Supplementary feeding for mothers with young children and people living
with HIV/AIDS;

- Classroom facilities, teachers and scholastic materials and furniture
for the primary school;

- Cleaning and rehabilitation of sanitation facilities as the former
reception centre at St. Jude Primary School in Malaba, Tororo District.


Humanitarian Response

10. The following agencies are participating in the response to the
humanitarian needs of the Kenyan refugees in Uganda: United Nations
Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), Save the
Children, World Vision, PLAN, The Salvation Army, The AIDS Support
Organization (TASO), Uganda Orphans Rural Development (UORD), Christian
Children's Fund, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO), United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme.

11. Other organizations that have contributed relief items to the response
include: MTN, Stanbic Bank, GOAL Uganda, the students of Kampala
International University and the Kenyan High Commission.

MULANDA TRANSIT CENTRE

Camp Management

12. In order to strengthen camp security, the Tororo District Internal
Security Officer (DISO) has recommended that all visitors to the camp
should request clearance from the Resident District Commissioner (RDC).

13. Refugee representatives will be included in the management and
distributions of NFI and food stocks.

14. A general cleaning of the Transit Site was carried out on 20 February
by refugee volunteers, World Vision and the Uganda Red Cross Society.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs)

15. Shelter facilities at Mulanda have been expanded from four to five
blocks (A-E) to accommodate the increasing number of refugees transferring
to the site.

16. The Salvation Army has provided 300 bags of charcoal, up to a
one-month ration, for distribution at the Transit Centre, with UNHCR
planning an additional top up of 100 bags. By 19 February, 80 per cent of
refugees at Mulanda had resorted to the use of firewood for cooking, due
to shortages of charcoal supply during the past week. On 19 February, all
remaining bags of charcoal were distributed, with each family receiving
only one basin due to the limited supply.

19. To date, the Uganda Red Cross has distributed nearly 41,000 non-food
items, including mosquito nets, cooking pots, jerrycans, blankets, soap,
tarpaulins, cups and plates. An assessment has been conducted to identify
refugees at Mulanda that have not yet received NFIs.

Food Security

20. According to the Uganda Red Cross, some 115 bags of maize flour and
three bags of beans are all that remain in the Transit Centre's stores.
The supply of cooking oil has been exhausted. Additional food supplies are
required.

21. A number of organizations including NGOs, private donors and the
Government of Uganda have made donations of food for the refugees.
Additionally, WFP has pre-positioned food stocks at Mulanda to be
distributed by UNHCR when there are gaps in the available supply. WFP also
makes weekly monitoring and assessment visits to the Transit Centre.

Health, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS

22. Since the 23 January opening of the Mulanda Transit Centre, 19 per
cent of all patients seen at the Mulanda Health Centre IV have been
refugees. From 23 January to 14 February, a total 2,387 people, including
643 children under five and 1,744 adults, sought assistance at the HC IV.

23. Meanwhile, the Health Centre's laboratory management reports a stock
out of testing kits of more than one month's duration. Health care staff
have also not been paid a promised weekly incentive.

24. The NGO PLAN is providing assistance to refugees referred from the
Mulanda Health Centre IV to other facilities. All referrals are to St.
Anthony Hospital in Tororo except in cases where St. Anthony's does not
have the necessary services.

25. The NGO TASO estimates that HIV prevalence among the residents of the
Mulanda Transit Centre is 13 per cent, while the prevalence in Tororo
District is 5.7 per cent. Stigmatization against HIV positive individuals
is prevalent; of 47 identified HIV positive people needing antiretroviral
treatment, only nine are currently receiving ARVs.

26. TASO and PLAN are working together to provide support in the area of
HIV/AIDS, including voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and
antiretroviral therapy (ART).

27. UNHCR was expected to undertake a nutrition survey at the Transit
Centre on 22 February.

Education

28. At present, some 367 children are registered at the primary school and
134 are registered for the early childhood development (ECD) programme.
Teachers have requested four additional classrooms be provided and
additional staff be recruited in order to comfortably accommodate the
children.

29. The NGO Save the Children reports that school attendance has been
intermittent, with high rates of absenteeism. Dialogues with refugees have
been conducted to encourage regular attendance.

30. UNHCR, with the support of Save the Children, is addressing secondary
schooling needs at two local Franciscan schools in Tororo and Mbale.

31. A local NGO, Uganda Orphans Rural Development, is looking into working
with Save the Children on early childhood development.

Protection

32. Tracing and reunification activities continue. Some 38 separated or
unaccompanied children had been registered as of 19 February and attached
to foster families. Five unaccompanied children have been reunited with
their parents and are staying at the Transit Centre.

33. Orientation and training has been provided to 44 members of Child
Protection Committee by Save the Children.

34. Renovations to the Safe Space have been completed, following damages
to the enclosure fencing. The football field has also been prepared and is
ready for use. Two teams have been formed and are training.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

35. Water quality testing has been conducted to verify that the water
trucked into the Transit Centre is safe for human consumption.

36. Twenty Red Cross and refugee volunteers have been trained to carry out
hygiene and sanitation work in the Transit Centre. Sanitation committees
have been formed in the residential blocks.

REFUGEES IN HOST COMMUNITIES

37. The NGO Action Aid has announced plans to distribute relief items
including food (maize, beans, flour and cooking oil), sanitary kits and
mosquito nets to a approximately 3,000 Kenyan refugees in Bukwo and
Kapchorwa Districts in the coming week. As part of the distribution,
Action Aid will work to ensure that the most vulnerable, including
lactating/pregnant women, children and older persons have first priority
in the distributions.

38. Action Aid also plans to work with the District Authorities on a media
campaign on the refugees' situation.

39. The NGO Medecins sans Frontieres-Holland, which conducted a rapid
assessment in Bukwo District last week, notes that there has been a 30 per
cent increase in the population accessing health care services. This is
attributed to the refugee population living within the host community.

HOST COMMUNITIES

40. Clean up operations have not been carried out at St. Jude Primary
School in Malaba, Tororo District. The school was used as one of the
principle reception centres for Kenyan refugees from 29 December to 22
January; at the time the Mulanda Transit Centre opened, St. Jude's was
hosting nearly 2,000 refugees. The inadequate sanitation facilities
available were quickly overwhelmed and have not been rehabilitated or
replaced since. Some 953 children are enrolled at St. Jude's, of whom 72
per cent (685 children) are girls.

Coordination

41. The humanitarian community in Uganda has agreed jointly to support the
Government's response to the situation of the Kenyan refugees, with
inter-agency operational coordination to be led by the United Nations
Refugee Agency, UNHCR, subsequent to the granting of prima facie status to
the Kenyans in Uganda.

42. Weekly coordination meetings are held on Friday at 1800 hours in
Tororo District with the participation of humanitarian agencies and
District Authorities.

43. OCHA will continue to issue regular Situation Reports. Inputs may be
sent to: knutson@un.org.

For more information, please contact:

Kristen Knutson, Public Information and
Donor Liaison Officer, OCHA-Uganda: +256 312
244 888, +256 772 759 996 (mobile),
knutson@un.org;

Chris Hyslop, Desk Officer, OCHA-New York:
+1 917 367 9457, hyslopc@un.org;

Stephanie Bunker, Public Information
Officer, OCHA-New York: +1 917 367 5126, +1
917 892 1679 (mobile), bunker@un.org;

Elisabeth Byrs, Public Information Officer,
OCHA-Geneva: +41 22 917 2653, byrs@un.org.

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