OCHA Situation Report No. 3
Uganda: Kenyan Refugees
11 January 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs


HIGHLIGHTS

- THE GOVERNMENT OF UGANDA IS RECOGN IZING KENYANS AT BORDER AS
   REFUGEES.
- REFUGEES TO GATHER AT TRANSIT SITE .
- KENYAN OPPOSITION CALLS FOR PROTESTS.


Situation Overview

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, UNHCR, UN agencies, non-governmental 
organizations, media and the Ugandan Red Cross Society.

1. Following the outbreak of post -election violence in Kenya, there has 
been an influx of Kenyans into Uganda through various crossing points 
along the eastern border with Ke nya, mainly through Malaba, Busia and 
Lwakhaka border points ; and more recently in Kapchorwa and Bukwa 
districts.

2. In a statement by the Office of The Prime Minister (OPM) on 11 
January, "Uganda is a signatory to the UN Convention regarding 
protection of refugees and as such it is recognizing this particular 
caseload as prima facie refugees."

3. While receiving these refugee s Government of Uganda (GoU) / the 
Office of The Prime Minister has given a three weeks emergency period ( 
until end of January) to manage the protection issues of these refugees. 
At the lapse of this period and the situation warranting, these refugees 
will be settled in designated refugee settlement areas with assistance 
of UNHCR .

4. According to the OPM, the present refugee population numbers 6,130, 
as of 9 January. Renewed effort at registration will clarify / confirm 
the caseload figure.

5. GoU/OPM and district authorities have provided security and relief 
food aid to the refugees . Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) is managing 
reception centers and United Nations High Commission for Refugees 
(UNHCR) together with the UN family are channelling assistance to the 
refugees through the auspices of the OPM, the local district authorities 
and URCS.

6. Some refugees are currently sheltered in local school locations. 
GoU/OPM, UNICEF and URCS amongst others regard it as key that the 
upcoming school term begin as scheduled in early February. Thus a key 
decision has been taken for relocation of these refugees.

7. GoU/OPM together with UNHCR plan to relocate the refugees from the 
various reception centers to a single transit centre recently identified 
near Tororo. The district leadership has been engaged to avail this land 
for temporary accommodation of the refugees.

8. With political mediation efforts unsuccessful to-date in Nairobi, 
there is concern that persistent unrest in western Kenya could prompt a 
further influx into Uganda.

9. Thus, a contingency planning effort for preparation amongst relevant 
district aut horities and responding agencies will be led by the OPM and 
UNHC R.

10. Today Kenya's main opposition party is resum ing its calls for mass 
protests. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has told police he will hold a 
mass rally in Nairobi's Uhuru park next Wednesday.

Priority Needs

11. According to combined information of the GoU/OPM, UNHCR, OCHA, 
UNICEF and URSC collected since SITREP 2, the priority needs are as 
follows :

- Sanitation, food and water are still a challenge.

- Cooking fuel / firewood will need replenishment over time.

- Local health facilities require increased supply and support as they 
deal with refugees as an increased caseload .

- There is need of expertise in handling protection issues

- The plan to relocate the Kenyans to other places will need to be 
executed as soon as possible as schools are due to re -open.

- Lack of transport and fuel for coordination by district officials is a 
reported constraint.

- The stranded Kenyan students at Kireka SDA Primary School still lack 
enough food and water.

Humanitarian Response

12. The Office of the Prime Minister is requesting assistance in Malaba 
and Busia districts to provide food, drugs at health centres, water, 
sanitation and bath shelter. OPM has distributed 100 bags of posho and 
30 bags of beans to each of the camps at Malaba and Busia.

13. URCS has carried out the following:

- URCS is still in charge of camp man agement and overall over seer of 
work done by other agencies in Malaba and Busia.

- URCS has so far distributed NFIs to 2, 805 Kenyans in Malaba and Busia 
camp. URCS has also pre-positioned stocks for 1, 000 households at the 
boarder.-

- With support from UNHCR , URCS was able to distribute 2, 000 pieces of 
sanitary towels and 500 sets of panties to women in the two camps.

- URCS has provided 70 mattresses to the Kenyan students at SDA Kireka 
Primary School.

14. Save the Children is to provide NFIs for children and lactating 
mothers. Along with URCS Save the Children will focus on protection 
issues.

15. UNHCR is providing firewood and tents through out the affected 
districts.

16. UNICEF conducted advocacy with the MoES on 8 January, meeting with 
the Director of Education for the Ministry of Education and Sports, to 
address the issue of Kenyan asylum seeker children experiencing an 
interruption of their studies, if displacement persists. The issues of 
school -occupation by asylum seekers and idle children were also 
addressed. The Director, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, in a 
letter dated 9 January, confirmed their availability for an assessment 
of the schools in the affected area and their willingness to "work with 
agencies in ensuring that children's rights are protected".

17. CCF began, on 9 January, distributing NFIs including 100 pieces of 
Blankets, 150 pieces of Basins, 100 pieces of jerry cans, 50 cartons of 
soap. The beneficiaries are families staying at Busia Intergrated 
Primary school refugee camp.

18. CCF is running radio sensitization messages on an FM Eastern Radio 
on the communities to register the refugees and the benefits of 
registration. This is further enforced with face-to-face sensitizations 
of the radio messages for communities of Buhenye, Buyengo and Buhasaba. 
The radio messages run everyday at 4pm and 9pm.

19. GOAL team is on the ground and will start distributing NFIs, 
together with URCS and FOCREV, on 9 or 10 January, depending on arrival 
of trucks. Intended number of beneficiaries is approximately 350 
households. Each HH will receive one charcoal stove and amount of 
charcoal, one jerry cans and waterguard. In addition, work on bathing 
shelters and latrines (doors and cleaning) will commence on 10 January.

20. SCF Uganda informed that they plan to be in the region by the end of 
this week to work with children, particularly UAMs. They also have NFIs 
to be distributed to children and lactating mothers from SCF Denmark, 
Norway, Sweden and the UK. They are looking forward to working with 
UNHCR.

21. GOAL and FOCREV have completed distribution of charcoal and charcoal 
stoves in Busia integrated primary school. In addition, on 10 January, 
GOAL started the following activities: c leaning of latrines and 
sleeping spaces, construction of bathing shelters, latrine rehab of 
doors installing hand washing facilities for latrines and health 
education for use of Waterguard. In addition, d istribution of one jerry 
can and Waterguard will take place on 11 January. GOAL is coordinating 
with PLAN and UNHCR to provide a distribution of charcoal to registered 
refugees in Malaba.

Coordination

22. On 9 January a meeting took place at the request of OPM under the 
chairmanship of the Minister of State Musa Ecweru, to review the 
situation of the newly arrived Kenyan refugees. UN agencies were invited 
in addition to the Ugandan Red Cross and several NGOs such as Oxfam, MSF 
and SCF. The Minister stressed the need for coordinated action under the 
leadership of OPM and UNHCR as the number of visits and assessments 
proliferate.

23. The latest Relief Web Situation Map on Kenyan Elections can be found 
at Reliefweb (http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/J 
OPA-7AMKGG?OpenDocument)

24. OCHA will continue to issue regular Situation Reports as information 
becomes available. Inputs may be sent to: laurilak@un.org.


For more information, please contact:

Tim Pitt, Head of Office, OCHA -Uganda: +256 772 775511, pittt@un.org

Katja Laurila, Associate Humanitarian Affairs Officer, OCHA-Uganda: +256 
772 760023, laurilak@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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