Child Dies of Hunger in Kitale Refugee Center

The Kitale Refugee Centre is in mourning after the death of a young child who was among the over 1600 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi camping at the Kitale showground in Trans Nzoia County.

The group of refugees had gone for several days without food following an increase in number of refugees from Uganda.

Kenya Red Cross confirmed the death of the three-year-old on Monday, Red Cross County chairman Ronald Masindano said the camp is facing serious challenges in accommodating the refugees, including space, food constraints, and medical support, especially for mothers and children.

The refugees said they fled to Kenya because they were facing a humanitarian crisis in Uganda where they had no access to necessities and thought Kenya would be a much better place to be.

“Some of the officials at Kiryandongo Settlement Refugee Camp used to take advantage of situations to enrich themselves while we were left to survive on our own. We had to seek new refuge in Kenya,” claimed Ms. Kapou who is from Goma Congo.

DRC reported that the fighting between the M23 rebels and its government forces in North Kivu province has intensified, forcing residents to flee to other countries such as Kenya and Tanzania.

“These refugees ran away from their camps in Uganda and are stuck here. They can neither go back to Uganda nor proceed to Kakuma Refugee Camp due to lack of legal travel permit," said Masindano.

Leaders in Trans Nzoia County are calling upon UNHCR a UN refugee agency to ensure refugee camps in Uganda have favourable conditions to offer asylum to refugees fleeing from war in Congo and Burundi.

 Kenya Red Cross County coordinator Ruth Miningwo said at least 8,468 refugees have been received at the Kitale transit centre in Western Kenya since January.

"We are receiving between 600 and 800 refugees weekly, and since January we have had over 8,000 arrivals. Women and children form 60 per cent of the families,” said Miningwo.

UNHCR is mandated to save lives and protect the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced communities.