VZCZCXRO8575
RR RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHLN RUEHMR RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #2594/01 3510635
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170633Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0142
INFO EAST AFRICAN ESC POSTS COLLECTIVE
GENEVA IO MISSIONS COLLECTIVE
SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHLN/AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 0001

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 002594 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E DRIANO, PRM, FO, PRM/AF DEUTCH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF KE SO
SUBJECT: COLLECTIVE DEMARCHE TO PRESIDENT KIBAKI ON DADAAB 
 
REF: 09 NAIROBI 2364 
 
¶1.       During the visit of PRM Assistant Secretary Eric Schwartz 
to Kenya on October 17 - 22, the donor community agreed to a 
collective demarche urging President Kibaki to authorize the 
opening of a fourth Dadaab camp (09 Nairobi 2363).  Ten Ambassadors 
signed a joint letter which was sent to President Kibaki on 
November 23, 2009. 
 
 
 
¶2.       Begin Text. 
 
 
 
¶3.       His Excellency Mwai Kibaki 
 
 
President of the Republic of Kenya 
 
Nairobi 
 
 
 
¶4.       Dear Mr. President : 
 
 
 
¶5.       We the members of the International Donor Community and 
friends of Kenya represented by the undersigned, present our 
compliments to His Excellency the President of the Republic of 
Kenya.  We want to underscore our continued support for Kenya's 
longstanding history of generously hosting and protecting refugees. 
We recognize and applaud Kenya's tradition of solidarity with those 
who have sought refuge in her territory and we stand resolute in 
our support of Kenya's efforts to uphold its international 
obligations towards refugees and asylum seekers. 
 
 
 
¶6.       It is in this spirit of international solidarity and 
support that we reiterate our concern that the humanitarian 
conditions in the Dadaab refugee camps are rapidly deteriorating. 
Concerted action is called for to avoid a humanitarian disaster. 
 
 
 
¶7.       While we acknowledge Kenya's serious and legitimate 
security and environmental concerns due to the expanding refugee 
population in North Eastern Province, we encourage the 
establishment of a fourth camp and a screening center as a means to 
avert a looming crisis and to effectively address security 
concerns. 
 
 
 
¶8.       Your Excellency, the camps in Dadaab were designed for 
90,000 refugees in the early 1990's. The number of refugees due to 
the worsened situation in Somalia has now reached 272,000 and is 
estimated to reach 330,000 by the end of this year.  We note 
UNHCR's alarm at the rapid deterioration of living standards and 
access to basic services available to refugees. 
 
 
 
¶9.       Since our last letter to you on 4 May 2009 expressing our 
concern about the deterioration of humanitarian standards in 
Dadaab, we have been encouraged by the progress UNHCR has made in 
addressing the concerns raised by your Government.  UNHCR has 
relocated some 12,900 refugees to Kakuma, has improved its 
registration and verification of refugees and has launched, 
together with other UN agencies in Kenya, community development and 
environmental rehabilitation proposals for refugee hosting 
communities. 
 
 
 
¶10.   We were also encouraged by the August meeting between Your 
Excellency and UNHCR High Commissioner Antonio Guterres, 
anticipating that the senior level mission Your Excellency ordered 
to Dadaab would provide recommendations for the way forward soon 
and would endorse the Fafi District and Garissa County Council's 
approval for the allocation of 2,000 hectares for the fourth camp. 
 
NAIROBI 00002594  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶11.   As part of a coordinated approach as agreed between Your 
Excellency and UNHCR Guterres, additional efforts, supported by the 
international community and the UN in close collaboration with your 
government, to address the security concerns at the border and the 
need for enhancement of the refugee and asylum capacity of the 
Kenyan government, are being implemented at the moment or are 
underway.  The international community is clearly committed to 
support Kenya on these broader security, environment, local 
development and migration issues. 
 
 
 
¶12.   We remain gravely concerned over the situation for the 
refugees in Dadaab.  We encourage measures on the part of the 
Kenyan Government that will allow refugees to be hosted and 
protected within acceptable standards of dignity and avert the 
threat to their health and welfare. 
 
 
 
¶13.   We respectfully ask for Your Excellency's positive and 
expeditious response to this matter.  A letter with a same content 
has been addressed to the Right Honourable Prime Minister Hon. 
Raila Odinga and to the Honourable Ministers of Foreign Affairs, 
Provincial Administration and Internal Security and Immigration and 
Registration of Persons. 
 
 
 
 
 
Respectfully, 
 
 
 
Signatories: 
 
 
 
¶14.   H.E. Mr. Michael Ranneberger 
 
Ambassador 
 
Embassy of the United States 
 
 
 
¶15.   H.E. Ross Hynes 
 
High Commissioner 
 
Canadian High Commission 
 
 
 
¶16.   H.E. Igor Haustrate 
 
Ambassador 
 
Embassy of Belgium 
 
 
 
¶17.   H.E. Ms. Elisabeth Jacobsen 
 
Ambassador 
 
Royal Norwegian Embassy 
 
 
 
¶18.   Mr. Eric Van der Linden 
 
Head of Delegation 
 
Delegation of the European Commission 
 
 
 
¶19.   H.E Mr. Robert Macaire 
 
High Commissioner 
 
British High Commission 
 
NAIROBI 00002594  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶20.   H.E. Bo Jensen 
 
Ambassador 
 
Danish Embassy 
 
 
 
 
¶21.   H.E. Ms. Laetitia Van Den Assum 
 
Ambassador 
 
Royal Netherlands Embassy 
 
 
 
¶22.   H.E. Ann Dismorr 
 
Ambassador 
 
Embassy of Sweden 
 
 
 
¶23.   H.E. Shigeo Iwatan 
 
Ambassador 
 
Embassy of Japan 
 
 
 
¶24.    End Text 
RANNEBERGER