All refugees to be taken to camps, Government says

By David Ochami

Internal Security Permanent Secretary Francis Kimemia has said all refugees would be taken to camps as the Government tries to solve the menace of illegal immigrants in the country.

The PS also revealed the Government would review its anti-terrorism strategies to address radicalisation of mosques and "involvement of non-Somalis in terror attacks."

Change of anti-terrorism tactics, said Kimemia, would include a regional counter-terrorism strategy to foster collaboration within East Africa to address the terrorist and transnational crimes from Somalia.

He said the Government was concerned about the terror threat posed by neighbouring war-torn Somalia.

Kimemia also said Kenya would deport "senior Somali refugees" attempting to destabilise Somalia from Kenyan soil in a report that also warns of stern action against Ethiopia and Somali human traffickers in the New Year.

The PS also announced that total crime in the past year dropped by 5 per cent.

Sudan referendum

Meanwhile, Some 15,057 South Sudanese resident in Kenya have registered to vote in South Sudan’s cessation vote on January 9, officials announced on Saturday. And the Kenya Government says it will secure the border with South Sudan during the referendum.

"We have put in place comprehensive contingency security measures along our border with Southern Sudan," said Internal Security Permanent Secretary Amos Kimemia on Saturday.

This figure is the highest Diaspora vote from a single country out of the approximated 200,000 South Sudanese registered outside South Sudan across the world, according to a tally released in Nairobi by Achuoth Philip Deng, an official of the South Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC).

Kimemia did not disclose details of the alleged measures but explained that the UN and international community is involved in these preparation.

The South Sudanese were registered between November 15 and December last year, and projections indicate most will vote for secession from the Sudanese Union at the referendum. And the SSRC, which is organising the vote, has appealed to Kenya police and immigration authorities to allow safe passage of South Sudanese to polling stationsspread across 8 polling stations across three provinces in Kenya.