The Kenyan government has commenced an exercise seeking to establish the identity of all Dadaab camp residents.
The move has been necessitated by the massive number of refugees seeking voluntary repatriation into Somalia.
According to a statement from the UNHCR commissioner, Fillipo Grandi, the exercise is meant to identify the number of refugees at the camp.
“We are doing the unpacking exercise at the Daadab refugee complex because it not only hosts Somalia people but also people from South Sudan and even needy Kenyans who have since registered themselves as refugees,” said Grandi.
Speaking in Nairobi on Saturday, Grandi stated that refugees from Sudan camping at the Dadaab complex would be relocated to Kakuma while domestic refugees will be taken back into their Kenyan population.
Grandi further said that the population of non-Somalis living at Dadaab lies at an estimated 60,000. However, Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed said the exercise will enable government authorities to establish the correct number of people residing in the camps, their true status and national identities.
Ms Mohamed added that the Dadaab population is expected to drastically reduce by around 150,000 individuals by December 2016.