A total number of 26,819 Somali refugees have confirmed their intention to voluntarily return home and some have been facilitated with means of returning to Somalia from Dadaab Camp.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said in its bi-monthly report released on Sunday that some 2,525 returnees were supported to voluntarily return to Somalia by flight and road convoys from September 16-30.
"Since December 8, 2014, when UNHCR started supporting voluntary return of Somali refugees in Kenya, a total of 32,949 Somali refugees had returned home as at September 30. Out of which 26,848 were supported in 2016 alone," said UNHCR.
Kenya announced intention to close the camp over security concerns, saying attacks on its soil have been planned there.
Kenya in collaboration with the UN refugee agency are working on a programme that will ensure a smooth and voluntary repatriation of over 300,000 refugees living in five sites at the Dadaab refugee camp.
The statement from the refugee agency comes after international medical charity, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said a vast majority of refugees do not want to go back to Somalia and urged Kenya thus to consider alternatives to closing down the Dadaab camp.