Kenya: Treatment of returnees who have claimed refugee status abroad, particularly those involved in the Mwakenya movement and their spouses
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KEN11358 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: Treatment of returnees who have claimed refugee status abroad, particularly those involved in the Mwakenya movement and their spouses, 1 August 1992, KEN11358, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab622c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The information contained in this response was provided by the spokesperson for Mwakenya in North America, author and Visiting Professor of Comparative Literature at New York University (as of September 1992), Dr. Ngugi wa Thiongo, during a telephone interview with the IRBDC (4 Aug. 1992). Dr. Ngugi wa Thiongo stated that President Moi has publicly declared Mwakenya to be his enemy "number one" (date of this declaration not given). He emphasized that Mwakenya is a clandestine organization with a wide following in Kenya. Many members of Mwakenya have been detained because Mwakenya has been very critical of President Moi's government and was the first to raise the issues of democracy and a multiparty system. Dr. Ngugi wa Thiongo described Mwakenya and its supporters as an "endangered species" in Kenya. Consequently, he further stated, Mwakenya supporters and their spouses could be targets of harassment by the present government of President Moi. This information was corroborated by the Editor-in-Chief of Africa Events, a well-known African publication in London, in a telephone interview with the IRBDC (4 Aug. 1992).
In another telephone interview, a Kenyan scholar in Ottawa who travelled to Kenya in 1991 stated that the government of President Moi is very suspicious of Mwakenya and could be vindictive towards returning members as members of Mwakenya based outside Kenya have undermined President Moi's credibility. This source added that as long as Moi's government is still in power, it is doubtful whether Mwakenya members can return to live in Kenya without harassment. Publicly available sources to corroborate this information could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC in Ottawa.
References
Africa Events. London. 4 August 1992. Telephone Interview with Editor-in-Chief.
New York University, Manhattan. 4 August 1992. Telephone Interview with the Spokesperson for Mwakenya in North America, writer and Professor of Comparative Literature, Dr. Ngugi wa Thiongo.
Kenyan Scholar, Ottawa. 4 August 1992. Telephone Interview.
