By ABDILATIF MAALIM.

A global human right body has accused the Kenya police along the Somali border of abusing Somali asylum seekers and refugees.

In a report titled ‘Welcome to Kenya’ Police Abuse of Somali Refugees’ Human Right Watch called on the Kenyan government to immediately rein it abusive police force.

The right body interviewed over 100 refugees in the report which indicate that Kenya police of widespread extortion of asylum seekers trying to reach the three camps near the Kenyan town of Dadaab.

The report accuses the police along the border of use of violence arbitrary arrest ,unlawful detention in inhuman and degrading conditions , threats of deportation , and wrongful prosecution for ‘unlawful presence’ to extort money from new arrivals.

Speaking at press briefing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Gerry Simpson, refugee researcher for Human Rights Watch and principle author of the report, told reporters the violation were unprecedented and should be stopped immediately as they still continue.
“People fleeing mayhem in Somalia, the vast majority women are welcomed to Kenya with rape, whipping beatings, detention extortion and summary deportations,” said Gerry Simpson


The report explains that the "organized nature of the police's extortion racket and abuses" is the direct result of Kenya's three-year closure of its border with Somalia.
The border was closed in January 2007 to prevent Islamists fleeing Somalia from entering. But the closure also has blocked many refugees, forcing tens of thousands of Somalis to use smuggling networks to cross into Kenya.
Before its closure, Somalis sought asylum at a border town, where the U.N.'s refugee agency transported them to a sprawling, dirty collection of camps about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away. The three camps were built to hold 90,000 refugees but as of May had 320,000 asylum seekers.

The report state that “In some case police even rape women. In early 2010 alone, hundreds and possibly thousands of Somalis unable to pay extortion demands were sent back to Somalia, in flagrant violation of Kenya and international law,”

Also accused by the report is the UNHCR which it says has significantly failed to identify the problems the refugees face from the Kenyan police.

Present at the same press briefing Deputy Spokesperson of the Kenya police , Charles owino said they have accept the details contained in the report. He said the police commissioner has set up a special committee to investigating the report finding.

“ as a force we have accept criticism but we believe the report has been exaggerated and a team of investigators lead by the head of the complaints section has been sent to the areas mentioned in the report to get the truth,” said Owino.