Africanews
Among the almost countless victims of Rwanda's civil strife are some 15 000 to 20 000 mostly businessmen and intellectuals now condemned to living as refugees in Kenya. Though very enterprising, these people have, after two years in exile, been reduced to beggars. But their plight remains largely unknown to the rest of the world. |
When war broke out in Rwanda in October 1990, nobody ever imagined it could
claim so many lives and cause so much suffering to millions of others.
Apart from the massacre of thousands of innocent people, one of the most
devastating consequences of the 1990-94 Rwandan war has been the flight of
more than two million people from their mother land. Besides Zaire and Tanzania
which shelter many Rwandans in refugee camps, Kenya too has a sizeable
population of the Rwandans, mostly businessmen and intellectuals. However, the
struggle by this lot for integration in Kenya is largely unknown to the rest of
the world.
Left to fend for themselves, most of them are now starving as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) remains apathetic and the churches too powerless to offer meaningful assistance.
According to a recent research done by Centre for Research for International Development (CRID), Rwandan citizens in Kenya number anywhere between 15,000 and 20, 000 people. After more than two years in exile without jobs for those who were working, and education for those who were studying, they have all but lost hope in their lives.
Of this lot, there are certainly those who participated in the 1994 massacre of the mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, and who should be repatriated to face justice. A good number, however, are innocent victims of circumstances.
Normally in situations of war, the victims look up to the UNHCR for assistance. The latter supplies medicines, food and education to the affected people. But any of the Rwandans in Kenya is likely to tell you that their case has been handled by the UN body very differently. All they have managed to squeeze out of UNHCR is the protection letter which justifies their stay in a country other than their motherland.
For a few lucky women, the letter, which in Kenya's case is issued at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, came with an entitlement of a paltry Ksh3,000 (about $51) per month. A refugee who wishes to stay elsewhere must justify that wish by giving sufficient reasons. The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is charged with the responsibility of identifying the right people to receive UNHCR assistance in Nairobi.
However, it is almost impossible to get any assistance from UNHCR office in Nairobi if one spent sometime in another country before coming to Kenya. Those falling under this category are usually told that they should, according to UNHCR rules, seek for assistance from where they first settled. A large number of Rwandan refugees first settled in Zaire but opted for other destinations to evade forced repatriation.
Most of the refugees reckon that the church remains their only hope in Kenya. The Catholic church, for instance, organises spiritual and humanitarian assistance to the Rwandans through the Association of Members of Episcopal Conference in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) and its Nairobi parishes.
At the Kayole Parish, a mass is celebrated in Kinyarwanda each Sunday, while food aid is irregular. The parish also assists Rwandan refugees with medicine at its community clinic. Earlier, there was free education for the children of the refugees but this has since been terminated.
At Riruta Parish, a mass is celebrated in Kinyarwanda each second week of the month. Sometime in the past JRS used to give food (flour and beans) but the assistance has since been terminated. At University of Nairobi's St. Paul's Parish, AMECEA organises a mass for Rwandans every second week of the month. Occasionally food aid is also provided.
The Protestant churches offer their assistance under the auspices of All African Conference of Churches (AACC). AACC has a division which caters for refugees called Refugee Desk. However, it is not easy for one to get assistance from the organsisation. There is a lot of bureaucracy which demands that one's request seeks acceptance from the lowest ranks of the church to the top. The AACC only handles cases of long term nature such as academic scholarships.
Like in the case of the Catholics, assistance from the Protestant churches is strictly on one-off basis. Faithfuls belonging to different denominations meet regularly at selected Protestant churches such as the as Nazarene Church along Ngong Road, Episcopal Church, All Saints Cathedral, Presbyterian Church and St Andrews Church. At the Nazarene Church, a service for Rwandans is organised each first and third weeks of the month in Kinyarwanda. A French service is organised each week for the French speakers at the St Andrews Church. Occasionally, after those services, food assistance is distributed.
In brief, for the Kenya-based Rwandan refugees, there is no any assistance which has a solid structure. Thus the assistance, whether from the UNHCR or the churches, hardly make any meaning even to the most vulnerable lot like the children and the elderly people.
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