Speaker Muturi defends Kenya in refugees row

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Monday urged the international community to address the issue of refugee crisis in Africa, especially in Kenya.

He said the decision to close down the Dadaab refugee camp had been informed by various factors, including collaborative intelligence reports that pointed to the planning of terror attacks by people living in the camps.

On February 9, the High Court in Nairobi quashed the government’s  plan to close down the Dadaab refugee camp.

Justice John Mativo ruled that the directive issued last year by the Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Maj (Rtd) Joseph Nkaissery  and his Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho to close down the refugee complex was unconstitutional.

Speaking on Monday when answering questions from a group of MPs under the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund that paid him a courtesy call in Parliament, Speaker Muturi accused Europe of lecturing Africa on matters to do with refugees while they were doing the opposite in their countries.

“What is good for the goose must also be good for the gander,” the Speaker noted.

European countries have been accused of denying asylum to refugees, especially people fleeing conflict in Syria.

He added that Europeans do not seem to be worried with what is happening in Europe or North America, citing the handling of immigrants from seven muslim-majority nations under new United States administration led by President Donald Trump.

The National Assembly Speaker noted that Kenya has had its fair challenges on dealing with  terrorist attacks, adding that unless Somalia was stabilized the situation was unlikely to change.

The MPs were led by Belgian Senator Alain Destexhe who is also the network’s vice chairperson.