IBTimes UK visited the border after UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) officials made the claim that Kenyan immigration officials were denying access to asylum seekers on the territory, which is against international law. According to UNHCR officials , around 300 Sudanese fleeing insecurity, armed groups, drought and food insecurity arrive at Nadapal on average every week. That's 1,200 a month – most of them coming from South Sudan's Eastern Equatorial province.
Randa poses for a photo after having slept rough at South Sudan's Nadapal borderElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKSince 26 May, however, those flows have thinned. But hundreds of asylum seekers have been denied access[1] to Kenya and sent back to South Sudan – the country they were fleeing from.
Randa, a 24-year-old South Sudanese woman, was separated from her family in 2013 by the civil war. While she stayed in the South Sudanese capital Juba during the fighting, her mother and six brothers and sisters sought asylum in neighbouring Kenya's second largest refugee camp, Kakuma, in 2014. Now, the young woman decided to join her family.
With only a bag and a suitcase, she used the little money she had to pay for transport to reach the South Sudan-Kenya border, located two hours' drive from Kakuma on dusty roads.
However, following a "verbal order" issued by the Kenyan authorities, South Sudanese immigration officers at Nadapal border – the only point of entry from South Sudan into Kenya – were instructed by their Kenyan counterpart to tell asylum seekers to enter Kenya on a 'visitor' permit. The visitor visa costs $50 (£34.82, €44.34). Those who cannot pay $50 are sent back to South Sudan. If they enter Kenya on a visitor permit, asylum seekers cannot apply for refugee status and so cannot receive any support.
Randa said she spent the little money she had on transport to get to the border, and could not pay the $50 fee. She was refused entry into Kenya and was stranded at the border. With nowhere to go, she spent the night alone, sleeping rough near the South Sudanese immigration office – putting her at risk of sexual violence.
Randa walks past the empty Nadapal reception centre for asylum seekers, where they are normally treated, housed and fed until they are transported to the Kakuma campElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKAfter 36 hours spent at the border, Randa was tired and hungry. Her mother, she said, was expecting her in Kakuma refugee camp. She didn't know how long she would stay stranded before being allowed into Kenya.
Randa stands with her luggage as she is about to cross into KenyaElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKHaving heard about Randa's story, however, an officer of Kenya's former Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA) – now Refugee Affairs Secretariat (RAS) – pressed the Kenyan head of immigration to allow her into Kenya and claim asylum. [2]
After putting on a new outfit, Randa walks towards the border checkpoint as she crosses from South Sudan into KenyaElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKIncredibly, after receiving the news, Randa walked off before re-appearing wearing a different outfit. She wanted to look good upon arrival in her new home.
Ronda smiled as a UNHCR officer piles her belongings in the back of a UN vehicle that will drive her to Kakuma refugee campElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKAfter the head of immigration accepted and stamped her documents, a doctor at the Kenya Immigration office saw Randa for an initial screening – the young woman said she was feeling unwell.
After crossing the check point in Nadapal, Randa walks up to the Kenya Immigration Services office, where she hopes to get her asylum seeker documents approved and stamped by Kenyan officialsElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKAfter around 30 minutes, she emerged, smiling, from the office with her documents – and boarded a UNHCR vehicle, which drove her two hours to Kakuma refugee camp.
A smiling Randa poses for a photo after Kenyan immigration officials stamped her asylum seeker documentsElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKUpon arrival at the camp's reception centre, Randa underwent a thorough medical screening and processing of documents for asylum seekers, as well as received food as she waited to be reunited with her mother.
Randa tries to call her mother to let her know she had arrived at Kakuma refugee camp reception centreElsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKAt the time of writing, a source on the ground told IBTimes UK that no other refugees had been processed for asylum at the Kenyan border. Randa said she considered herself "lucky". She now lives with her mother and siblings in Kakuma's Camp Three, known as Kakuma 3.
A view of Kakuma 3. The sprawling Kakuma refugee camp is located in Kenya's arid Turkana County Elsa Buchanan for IBTimes UKReferences
- ^ asylum seekers have been denied access (www.ibtimes.co.uk)
- ^ Kenya's former Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA) (www.ibtimes.co.uk)
Newer articles:
- Poor nations shoulder bulk of record refugee numbers: UNHCR - 21/06/2016 10:20
- South Sudan's bishops encourage a way forward for war-torn nation - 21/06/2016 06:25
- South Sudanese bishops reject violence, as the country takes steps to recover from a bloody conflict - 19/06/2016 18:00
- Sudan summons UN mission chief in Darfur over mandate extension - 19/06/2016 13:18
- S. Sudan Government ‘Sees’ International Plot Seeking Regime Change - 19/06/2016 12:34
Older news items
- Bashir declares ceasefire in Blue Nile, South Kordofan: Sudan army - 17/06/2016 16:13
- South Sudan: More Than a Ton of Asia-Bound Ivory Seized - 17/06/2016 10:33
- Father's Day Reflections On Child Birth In New York And South Sudan - 16/06/2016 16:39
- Splits and schisms in South Sudan - 16/06/2016 13:05
- Kenya: Children and pregnant women reported among 300 South Sudanese denied asylum at border - 16/06/2016 11:51
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan's president meets with counterpart in Sudan for crisis talks - 04/09/2013 06:34
- In South Sudan, Kerry calls for end to violence - 02/05/2014 12:00
- Kenyan banks make losses in South Sudan and why they stay on - 05/04/2022 03:42
- South Sudan urges warring parties in Sudan to protect oil infrastructure - 08/11/2023 07:32
- South Sudan student’s kin bury her in Mumbai, ask for footage of railway accident - 18/07/2018 17:37
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61875 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22310 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21503 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19069 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18871 times