The Untold Truths About Kakuma Refugee Camp: The Evolution of a Conflict.

Before reading this article, I recommend that you read The Untold Truths About Kakuma Refugee Camp: The State of Secondary School Education on Medium as background information to this piece. Hopefully, you’ve read or reread that article and you have enough information that will help you understand the information herein as it explains how the events unfolded after the schools were shut down.

The product of silence and anger.

It has been more than a month since the closure of secondary schools in Kakuma Refugee Camp, and the UNHCR and Windle Trust Kenya (WTK) are yet to issue any official statement about the event. As the majority of students were eagerly waiting for that official statement, the schools reopened a few weeks later and a number of students enrolled after paying the US $ 10. Out of anger and frustration, a few students who couldn’t pay the fee stormed Kakuma Refugee Secondary School (KRSS) on Monday 12th with the goal of disrupting the continuing lessons. In an attempt to thwart the threat, the teachers, who were caught unaware, attempted to force those students out of the school. This move was met with a fierce resistance resulting in a brawl and ultimately the indiscriminate assault of all the teacher, including both national and refugee teachers.

The aftermath of the assault.

After the police learned of the unfolding of events in KRSS, they embarked on executing what they do best: mass arrests with brutality. While the actions of the students should not be condoned and should be condemned in the strongest terms possible, the police reactions were neither acceptable nor justified. Officers from different departments armed with rungus (clubs), whips, and guns conducted a house to house search in pursuit of any able bodied youth suspected of being high school student (this is a usual practice, only it was intensified). Instead of being read their Miranda rights (the rights of an arrested person as stipulated in article 49 of the Kenyan Constitution), the youth were met with clubs and whips. The crackdown was conducted in areas where the youths were vulnerable and unaware of police presence: in their homes, some students were found sleeping, and others bathing. In sports field, some were taken off the field while in action and even the spectators of those games were not spared. While homes and sport fields were popular hunting grounds, the most targeted individuals were the ones found in possession of a secondary school textbook.

Who goes to jail and who does not after the arrest?

In most cases, the people who were badly injured like the boy who appears in the photograph were pardoned. Others who were identified as non-high school students were pardoned instantly. Some of the arrested claimed they were let off the hook after issuing a kitu kidogo (bribe). The final number was narrowed down to at least 50 and they were then taken to Kakuma Town police headquarters.

The Jail conditions.

The Kakuma police station has two cells roughly measuring 4x4m. No prisoner is allowed to glance at what is happening outside in the presence of a police officer. The repercussions of such an attempt include debilitating lashes. Inside the cell, each prisoner is allowed to wear a light shirt and pants without a belt; there are no beds, mattresses or mats, and the prisoners are not allowed to bring their own materials. In an attempt to get rest or sleep, the prisoners have no option but to lie on the dirty floor. One corner is the urinal since prisoners are entitled to answer nature’s call twice a day at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.In case they have an urge to relieve themselves, then they can do so in that corner of the cell. In addition, there are no other openings in the cell and with the over-crowdedness of the cells, there is high competition for oxygen. In addition, no prisoner is allowed to go near the cell door or

Possible option of getting released.

The police are demanding $ 500 per person in order to be released. Mark you, that amount is enormous for any refugee, especially a high school student. This demand is not hidden; it is all above board since the police officers in Kakuma have implicitly proclaimed themselves as ”the law”. They have kept the students for more than 24 hours and are still keeping them against the very law they strive to maintain. They are optimistic that the fees will be paid according to their past experiences. The police have been 100% successful in this business and odds are that they will get the money they demand. While some are still languishing in the prison cells, others have been released after paying the “bond”. As the police remain unthreatened, the only way to get the students out of jail is to pay the sum.

Other options for release?

Yes, a single phone call can change everything, if it comes from their superiors or influential people who can splash cash instantly. In addition, since it appears that the Kenyan constitution does not give equal rights to refugees or that the duty of the Kenyan police is to tame the “vicious” refugees, the refugees are rarely taken to court. Some refugees are lucky enough to be taken to Lodwar (where the nearest fully functioning court is situated) and tried formally, especially if their crimes are very serious and sensitive such as murder and cases involving citizens of Kenya. Another trick employed here is the sending of refugees to Lodwar jail and not sending their documents which results in them languishing in jails without any justice served.

What should the police do?

Instead of mass arrests and assaults of the refugee communities resulting in the victimization of innocent people, the police should carry out a thorough investigation to find out the perpetrators of crimes committed against those teachers who were assaulted.

Demand for resolution of the conflict.

Going back to the roots of the conflict, the problems should be addressed as soon as possible, so that the students, especially KCSE candidates, can go back to school after being out for close to two months. The refugee community, as they are seen at the moment, might be in terrible situations currently and heartbreaking pasts, but they deserve a chance to rebuild their lives and create the best future for themselves and others. In my view, giving them proper education is the best option at our disposal. As a reader of this article, I encourage you to take initiative towards abating the worsened situation in Kakuma refugee camp.

Please refer to this article by Amol Dhieu for more information.

Edited by Deirdre Hand.