KENYA PUTS TWO REFUGEE CAMPS UNDER PARTIAL LOCKDOWN DUE TO COVID-19

Nairobi, KENYA

The government of Kenya yesterday placed Dadaab (pictured) and Kakuma Refugee camps under partial lockdown as the government continues to implement measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i made the announcement following a meeting of the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee (NDICC) to discuss the progress of the Government’s interventions to combat COVID-19 in Kenya.

“Following the meeting, and in furtherance of directives to curb the communal spread of COVID-19 across the country, the Government has ordered for the cessation of movement into and out of both Kakuma and Dadaab Refugee Camps effective tomorrow, Wednesday, April 29, 2020,” a tweet from Matiang’i read.

No confirmed cases have been reported in any of the camps so far.

The concern is that these refugee camps which are overpopulated could unwittingly become areas in which the coronavirus could spread exponentially. Dadaab has a population of more than 200,000 while Kakuma has a population of at least 180,000.

Dadaab refugee camp is located in Garissa County which has not yet recorded any COVID-19 case but borders Somalia which, having recorded 582 cases and 28 deaths is the second worst affected country in the East and Horn of Africa regions.

Kakuma refugee camp is located in Turkana County in the northwest, a region that has also not yet recorded a positive COVID-19 case.

Both refugee camps have been added to the list of areas in which movement into and out of them has been restricted. The Nairobi Metropolitan Area and the counties of Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa and Mandera are the others.

A charity organization CARE has expressed its concern saying Dadaab has no health infrastructure in place that could deal with an outbreak. Philippa Crosland-Taylor, the country director said that a potential outbreak would be a “disaster”.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Kenya as of April 29 stands at 384 while the number of recoveries stands at 129 with 15 fatalities.