Kenyans displaced in the post-electoral violence earlier this year are to assess the situation in their villages and the possibilities for return, a spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Tuesday.
Jennifer Pagonis told reporters that the UN refugee agency will provide objective information about conditions in the villages for the representatives so they can make an informed decision about returning.
The crisis sparked by contested presidential elections in late December resulted in the displacement of an estimated 350,000 people.
During a daylong visit to their villages in Uasin Gishu and Koibatek districts in the Rift Valley, the representatives of displaced people will assess the security situation, infrastructure and livelihood possibilities.
The representatives will meet local authorities and representatives of other communities in the area as part of the reconciliation process, as well as inspect their homes.
In many locations in the Rift Valley, people have started to move back closer to their villages.
Many displaced farmers have shown an interest in returning, especially with the onset of the planting season, but only if their safety can be ensured.
Meanwhile, in Uganda, the UNHCR has begun the transfer of some 1,800 Kenyan refugees from a transit site near the Kenya-Uganda border to Kiryandongo -- a long-established Ugandan refugee settlement.
Source:Xinhua
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