International Organization for

Migration (IOM)

Mission with Regional

Functions For East and Central Africa,

Church Road, Off Rhapta Road,

Westlands

PO Box 55040- 00200-Nairobi, KENYA

Phone: + 254 20 4444167/174

Fax: + 254 20 4449577

E-mail: piunairobi@iom.int

Website: http://nairobi.iom.int

Northern Kenya is a very arid region inhabited by

nomadic pastoralists and characterized by a frag-

ile ecosystem ravaged by climate change. It is also

an area which is susceptible to insecurity due to

regional ethnic tensions within the Kenya-

Uganda-Sudan-Ethiopia-Somalia borderlands.

Increasingly scarce resources have led to in-

creased pastoralist movements to insecure and

more environmentally fragile places in search of

water and pasture. Whilst these communities

have had long-standing “historical” tensions and

conflict over resources, chronic drought has sig-

nificantly increased the frequency of pastoral

movements and the duration of time spent in

“foreign” territory. These conditions create an

increased need for mobility by the herders to

move further and further afield for the survival of

pastoralist livelihoods.

IOM and the Ministry of Livestock’s veterinary

department carried out a skills training pro-

gramme from 31 March to 3 April, 2011 for pas-

toralists in Turkana County as part of IOM’s Emer-

gency Livelihood Support for Peace Building and

Safe Migration Programme, in an effort to

counter the effects of drought caused by climate

change and conflicts due to scarce resources.

IOM facilitated the four-day training session in

which forty pastoralists from Komudei water point

near Kakuma refugee camp were trained on issues

crucial to their interests including learning about

livestock diseases, veterinary drug usage to treat

livestock correctly, the importance of regular vac-

cination for cattle, as well as peace building and

conflict prevention awareness techniques. The

participating Turkana community members were

urged to be ambassadors for peace and conflict

prevention.

This latest training session revealed the urgent

need for continued information dissemination by

the trained pastoralists to their fellow community

members as most herders were not aware of the

dangers of sharing veterinary drugs with humans.

James Echoto, one of the elders who participated

in the training said: “For all my life I used to share

my animal drugs with my family members and

even my kraal members. We give it to the people

and even children when they are sick. I never

knew it kills. Now I am happy that this training has

come to save our children and also our animals.”

He said further, “For the vaccination of livestock

like for our children, we have been refusing to

take our animals for vaccination because we think

that they will bring diseases to our livestock. Now

we shall be bringing them!”

Plans are underway to organize additional training

workshops for the Turkana herders once the short

rains have begun and many of the pastoralists,

who have moved far away across the border

across to Uganda, have returned to Kenya.

IOM’s programming in Northern Kenya generously

funded by the Government of Japan, aims to

counteract the growing culture of armed violence

and promote peace among pastoralist communi-

ties and address the underlying issues surrounding

resource based conflict and inter ethnic/cross

border conflict situations through the promotion

of solidarity among conflicting communities.

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

IOM Spearhead Peace

Building During a

Cattle Vaccination

Workshop

1

IOM Supports Reinte-

gration

Opportunities For

Returned Rwandan-

Refugees

2

Pre-Departure

Orientation For

Kenyan Youth

Labour Migrants

2

3

4

HOW TO VACCINATE CATTLE AND KEEP THE PEACE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS - THE INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) AND THE KENYA MINISTRY OF LIVESTOCK ASSIST TURKANA

PASTORALISTS

A P R I L 2 0 1 1 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 1 0

MRF NAIROBI

BULLETIN

IOM Calls for

’Migrant Friendly’

Medical Services on

World Health Day

Traditional Conflict

Resolution

Mechanisms

Adopted by

Pastoral

Communities to

Curb Escalating

Cattle Rustling

Pastoralists feeding their animals in Northern

Kenya© IOM 2011 ( PHOTO: Lilian Matama)

RWANDA: IOM SET TO SUPPORT REINTEGRATION

OPPORTUNITIES FOR RWANDAN RETURNED REFUGEES

Rwanda’s Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs

(MIDIMAR) H.E. General Marcel Gatsinzi and the Regional Repre-

sentative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Mr. Ashraf El Nour, signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) that will

see IOM continue with the implementation of phase two of a

project that seeks to enhance the socio-economic reintegration

opportunities of returned refugees from the Democratic Repub-

lic of Congo (DRC), in an event that was witnessed by the Japa-

nese Ambassador to Rwanda H.E Kunio Hatanaka.

IOM received an additional USD 1 million from the Government

of Japan (GoJ) to implement the second phase of a livelihoods

and skills training project for 1,000 returnees and their families

in five additional districts in 2011. In phase one of the project

IOM supported approximately 10,000 returnees and their fami-

lies in 10 districts across Rwanda through the provision of live-

stock and skill training, funded with an initial USD 2 million dol-

lars from the GoJ. The project also strengthened 80 skills training

institutions.

IOM will expand on the achievements of the first phase which

included a crucial rapid needs assessment that established base-

line data on returnees in 10 districts. IOM also assessed the ca-

pacities of institutions supporting returnees. As a result IOM and

MIDIMAR now have comprehensive data on the returnees who

will be supported by this project in those districts.

One of the key achievements of the first phase of the pro-

gramme is the enhancement of service delivery by Rwanda’s

National Refugee Council (NRC) and District Social Welfare offi-

cers was also increased. IOM trained district social development

officers in data collection and database maintenance, identifica-

tion of beneficiaries and development of monitoring and follow

up procedures and mechanisms.

P A G E 2 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 1 0

Rwanda lacks adequately trained human capital, particularly

for technical professions, as a result of the 1994 genocide, in

which many members of the educated and skilled workforce

were lost. As a result, the Government of Rwanda (GoR) has

called for a well-trained, motivated and adaptable workforce

as key to its economic and social development.

IOM’s project adopts a collaborative approach to the imple-

mentation of this project by working hand in hand with GoR

counterparts at national (with the new line ministry in charge

of Refugee Affairs heading the National Refugee Council),

district (represented by the district social development offi-

cers) and at community level, to ensure the sustainable deliv-

ery of project results.

IOM’s Regional Representative Mr. Ashraf EL NOUR signs Letter of

Agreement for second phase TICAD Project with the Minister for

Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs Gen. Marcel GATSINZI.

Looking on is the Ambassador of Japan in Rwanda H.E Mr. Kunio

HATANAKA © IOM 2011 ( PHOTO: Jean Luc Ndahimana)

During the development of the Youth Employment Scheme

Abroad (YESA) by the Youth Enterprise Development Fund

(YEDF) in Kenya in 2007, it became clear that pre-departure

orientation is a very critical component in the labour migration

process. A Memorandum of Understanding between IOM and

YEDF designated IOM to assume a leading role in the provision

of this critical service. The IOM Cultural Orientation Pro-

gramme has been providing pre-departure orientation for

youth labour migrants before they leave Kenya for their desti-

nation countries for secured employment since 2008.

There has been a constant increase in the number of partici-

pants since the start of the program in November 2008. The

first 49 youth trained in 2008 were destined for Iraq as secu-

rity guards on a two year contract. 2009 saw 64 trained mi-

grants leave for the Middle East, in particular Qatar and Ku-

wait, to assume two-year jobs as drivers and carpenters, while

in 2010 a significantly higher number of 719 young Kenyans

left for work as drivers, domestic workers as well as fish clean-

ers, and similar jobs in Qatar, Afghanistan, UAE (Dubai) and

Saudi Arabia. This trend continues in 2011, as 521 young la-

bour migrants have already been provided with pre-departure

training by the end of March.

The countries of destination are diverse, but statistics show

that the top receiving countries for labour migrants through

this program are Afghanistan, Qatar, and UAE Dubai, followed

by Saudi Arabia. Just as the countries of destination vary, the

types of jobs that are in demand are manifold.

In March 2011, for example, the most common jobs offered to

young Kenyans abroad were driver (31%); loader, including

airport cargo handler and fork lifter (16%); fuel operator

(11%); mechanic (10%); domestic worker (10%) laundry atten-

dant (5%) and electrician (2%), with other jobs, such as waiter,

pot washer, cook, gym instructor etc. making up 15 % of the

offered positions.

PRE-DEPATURE ORIENTATION FOR YOUTH

LABOUR MIGRANTS

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 1 0

The International Organization for Migration in coordination

with the Government of Kenya and the World Health Organiza-

tion call for immediate action against drug resistance

April 7, 2011 marked World Health Day: an international com-

memorative day to platform pressing global health issues. This

year focuses on drug resistance, a serious worldwide health con-

cern also affecting Kenya.

Today powerful and effective medicines – known as antimicrobi-

als − exist to treat diseases and infections such as malaria, tuber-

culosis and respiratory ailments. It is hard to imagine a world

without antimicrobials, but we are now on the brink of losing

their potency and effectiveness.

In Kenya antimicrobials are continuously being misused: drugs

are shared, patients are self-medicating and buying their medi-

cines directly over the counter, prescriptions are not duly fol-

lowed and treatments often go uncompleted.

The misuse of such medicines is causing a spike in health care

costs, greater suffering, disability and even fatality. Over 35,000

cases of resistance to several effective drugs for tuberculosis

have already been notified by over 35 countries since 2007 in

East and Central Africa.

As an official World Health Day partner in the region, the Inter-

national Organization for Migration (IOM) asks the international

community not to forget the specific health care needs of mi-

grants and mobile populations.

Ashraf El Nour, Regional Representative for IOM, comments:

“Due to a number of social factors, such as immigration status

and language barriers, migrants and mobile populations are

more likely to self-medicate which often leads to drug resistance.

A group of young migrants in a group discussion during pre-

departure training . PHOTO© IOM 2011

For the young migrants, the process to find employment

abroad begins with an interview process by recruitment

agencies, who are trying to find the best candidates for the

job. As a next step, these agencies contact YESA to request

training for their selected candidates, who then participate

in a one-day, interactive training provided by IOM Kenya.

Through this pre-departure training, IOM helps young mi-

grants to develop realistic expectations about working in

their destination countries. A lack of information about

their destinations causes a lot of insecurity and tension

among potential migrants, who are often worried about the

situations they are likely to encounter abroad.

To counter this, IOM provides them with accurate informa-

tion about their destination countries and information

about rights and benefits in the context of their employ-

ment. Most importantly, however, IOM enables the young

migrants to develop the awareness and the skill that they

will need if they are to successfully adapt to the society at

their destination.

The challenges that these young migrants will face are di-

verse and they begin at the start of their journey. Many of

these young Kenyans have never travelled before, much

less set foot on a plane. The IOM pre-departure training

gives them the opportunity to learn about the flight process

through watching a video; they learn the dos and don’ts of

packing and, most importantly, how to behave on a plane.

Many of the young migrants feel that the training was the

best thing that ever happened to them. Towards the end of

the session many participants have renewed confidence,

are happy and confess to having learnt how to handle new

situations and to have an open mind.

IOM has so far helped a total of 1,353 labour migrants to

prepare for their journey and stay in their country of desti-

nation, to overcome and cope better with the culture shock

upon arrival and to deal with situations as they may arise

during the duration of their contracts.

IOM AND PARTNERS CALL FOR URGENT ACTION

AGAINST DRUG RESISTANCE IN KENYA ON WORLD

HEALTH DAY

Boys performing a skit during the 2011 World Health Day

© IOM 2011 (PHOTO: MARY-SANYU OSIRE )

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 1 0

The issue is inequality; such populations are invisible and existing

disparities are preventing them from accessing quality health care.

We must ensure medical services are ‘migrant friendly’ to reduce

these disparities and curb drug resistance in Kenya, and indeed,

globally.’’

If drug misuse continues unchecked, many infectious diseases risk

becoming uncontrollable and could derail progress made towards

reaching the health related United Nations Millennium Develop-

ment Goals for 2015.

World Health Day will be commemorated at the Riruta Health Cen-

tre, Dagoretti, Nairobi with Hon Beth Mugo EGH, MP leading the

proceedings.

Persistant insecurity has been a major challenge along the Kenya-

Uganda border arising from cattle rustling as communities scram-

ble for access to diminishing pasture lands, and water for their

animals.

In April 2011, IOM convened a meeting between the Pokot

(Kenya) and the Karamoja (Uganda) communities; who are pre-

dominately nomadic pastoralist living along the Kenya-Uganda

border region. The meeting held at the border point of Orolwa

North Pokot District in Kenya and the neighboring Karita Division

in Uganda.

Facilitated by IOM, the meeting brought together some 500 par-

ticipants including local administrative government officials from

both communities, political leaders, Pokot and Karamoja elders

and community members.

The main purpose of the meeting was to bring together the two

communities in an attempt to curb escalating cattle rustling and

TRADITIONAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION MECHANISMS

ADOPTED BY CROSS BORDER COMMUNITIES TO CURB

ESCALATING CATTLE RUSTLING ACTIVITIES AMONG THE

POKOT (KENYA) AND KARAMOJA (UGANDA)

Kenyan elder addressing cross border communities during the ©IOM

2011(PHOTO: Richard Mutai)

form a joint surveillance team to monitor and report conflict

issues along the two borders. Elders engaged actively in dia-

logue citing common cultural practices between the commu-

nities and the need to cultivate good neighborliness.

To put theory into practice, a cleansing ceremony of warri-

ors from both communities who had been known to be in-

volved in cattle rustling and who agreed to desist from doing

so in future, were blessed by the elders in a ceremony pub-

licly witnessed by the provincial administrators, political

leaders and members of their respective communities.

A surveillance team comprising six community members was

established including two from Uganda, one from Orolwa,

two from Kapenguria and one from Marakwet on the Ken-

yan side in an effort to keep the peace in future.

To end the meeting both communities were led into reciting

the peace pledge by IOM officials and committed them-

selves to promote non violence development activicties.

IOM officials on the ground took the opportunity to brief on

the dangers of human trafficking. A bull was ceremoniously

slaughtered, roasted and shared among the elders as a sign

of reconciliation.

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 1 0

MRF NAIROBI WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE DONORS AND PARTNERS WHO HAVE FEATURED IN THIS

MONTH’S NEWSLETTER AND WITH WHOSE SUPPORT THESE PROGRAMMES HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE

International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Mission with Regional Functions For East and Central

Africa,

Church Road, Off Rhapta Road/Westlands

PO Box 55040- 00200-Nairobi, KENYA

Phone: + 254 20 4444167/174

Fax: + 254 20 4449577

E-mail: piunairobi@iom.int

Website: http://nairobi.iom.int