Kenya has been put on the spot following its latest action of repatriating four Turkish nationals who were allegedly abducted on Friday last week in Nairobi.
Reacting to the news, the United Nations has expressed its disappointment in Kenya, for turning away from its initial agreement of offering asylum to the troubled Turkish Nationals.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has revealed to BBC that it was "deeply concerned by the news of the four Turkish being repatriated back to their country. The UNHCR has faulted Kenya for not abiding to the respect of the principle of refoulement which protects asylum seekers.
"UNHCR urges the Government of Kenya to abide by their international legal obligations, and in particular, to respect the principle of non-refoulement [forced return of refugees], which protects asylum-seekers and refugees from any measure that could lead to their removal to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened," read part of UNHCR's statement to BBC.
Foreign Principal Secretary Kipkorir Sing’oei had on Monday October 21 revealed the Kenyan Government resolved to repatriate the Turkish Nations after serious deliberations with the Turkish Government.
According to the PS, the government of Kenya agreed to the repatriation after the foreign government formally placed in a request. The PS clarified that the Turkish government had assured Kenya that it would uphold human rights when handling the four.
‘’Kenya confirms that four Nationals of the Republic of Türkiye were repatriated to their home country on Friday, 18 October 2024, at the request of the government of Turkiye,'' Sing’oei revealed in a statement.
Nonetheless, the UN in its communication held that Kenya has broken the UN's 1951 Refugee Convention which states that refugees should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.
The UNHCR has revealed to the BBC that it would be providing more information about the repatriation and abduction which they are privy to in due course.
The news of the seven Turkish nationals being kidnapped hit national headlines in Kenya on Saturday last week after they were rounded up in various parts of Nairobi on Friday. One of the victims who was released by the kidnappers after clarifying that he was a British National narrated the terrifying ordeal.
The Turkish nationals were registered as asylum-seekers with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The victims had been under protection for two years.
The four are believed to be followers of the Gulen movement, a powerful Islamic community with followers in Turkey and worldwide. The Gulen movement runs a network of schools in Kenya and around the world.
