President William Ruto on Tuesday, June 6, handed over 1,600 Congolese refugees to Uganda after residing in Kenya for two months.
Uganda's Assistant protection officer at the Office of the Prime Minister, John Paul Magezi, who spoke to the media, indicated that the refugees had crossed the Kenyan border from Uganda hoping for a higher food ratio from World Food Programme (WFP).
The migration was necessitated by a decision by the Ugandan Government, headed by President Yoweri Museveni, to reduce the food ratio within the refugee camps.
Magezi pointed out that the refugees were received at King George Memorial Stadium in Tororo Town and would be relocated to Rwamwanja Refugee Camp in Kamwenge District.
The officer lauded the Kenyan Government for the partnership in retrieving the refugees found on the streets and assembled at Kitale showgrounds.
He stated that the majority of the refugees had turned into street vendors in Kenya.
"We appreciate our sister country for giving protection to the asylum seekers and putting in resources to cater for their welfare for the entire time they have been at the temporary refugee camp," Magezi noted.
He added that Uganda is expected to receive more refugees as the repatriation programme will continue until June 16, 2023.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Uganda hosts over 1.5 million refugees from different countries including South Sudan, Rwanda, Eritrea and Somalia.
Kenya, on the other hand, hosts over 540,000 refugees and asylum-seekers mainly living in the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps.
As of January 31, 2023, Somalia refugees comprised the largest margins with 288,945 (50 per cent). South Sudan follows with 155,159 (26.9 per cent).
54,455 Congolese reside in the refugee camps while 32,985 Ethiopians and 25,598 Burundi natives are also accounted for.
