Kenya promises to consult relevant organisations on Dadaab refugee camp closure

NAIROBI: Acting Lands Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has said the planned closure of Dadaab camp, hosting Somalia refugees, would be done humanly and in consultation with all humanitarian organisations.

Deputy President William Ruto directed the closure of the camp in the wake of several terror attacks that have claimed hundreds of innocent lives with the recent attack being at Garissa University College where 147 people were killed.

Mr Matiang'i was speaking on the sidelines during an International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Nairobi Tuesday. The three-day conference will look into the land and property rights of internally displaced persons and refugees.

"We learnt the importance of documenting internally displaced persons for ease of resettlement," he said.

Through a consultative meeting in the conference, a protocol will be developed that is expected to be adopted by the governments of the 12 ICGLR member states.

It will also encourage member states to integrate land issues specific to displaced persons into their national policies and land frameworks.

The states will be encouraged to share their experiences and approaches on land management and property rights related to internally displaced persons and refugees and renew their commitment to take appropriate measures for the implementation of the international principles contained in the Protocol.

They will also be expected to develop co-operation mechanisms to achieve durable solutions for the reintegration of IDPs and refugees and put in place follow up and evaluation mechanisms on the progress of the implementation of the protocol.