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Kenya: Moyale Population Movements (MDRKE042) Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA)

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Kenya
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IFRC
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A. Situation Analysis

Description of the disaster

In February 2018, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia stepped down, causing the declaration of a state of emergency and widespread rebellion by the civilians (against the state of emergency), that resulted into an ambush of a military truck heading to Oromia by a suspected from Oromia. Infuriated by this development, the military is reported to have retaliated on the 10th March 2018 leading to 13 deaths, 20 injuries and 16 reported missing. At the time of assessment, a total of 69 injuries had been reported.
The immediate aftermath of this armed encounter resulted into the displacement of about 1,650 households (8,200 people) in the first three days. This population is hosted in Somare, Kukub, Mayie, Sololo, Sessi, Dambala Fachana, and Butiye and has increased to 10,557 over the past week. KRCS, UNHCR and The Refugee Affairs Secretariat (RAS) are carrying out registration of the population hosted in these centres. Based on the current situation in Oromia region, it is anticipated that more people will move across the border and if the current trend of about 100 households coming daily is maintained, it is projected that the population will reach 15,000 by end of the month of March 2018.

Registration is ongoing and disaggregation to date is as follows; pregnant women (615), lactating mothers (940), Under 5 males (723), under 5 females (753), PLWD males (30), PLWD females (20), unaccompanied male children (61), unaccompanied female children (64), elderly males (71) and elderly females (105). Another 1,200 people (240 HHs) are expected to join the camps from Olla Waqo Dogo, Telle Dambi, Guchi, Argane, Madho, Chana Mudha and Mor Mora, Mudiambo, Tatesa, Chamuk, Tille Madho and Qetal. More displaced persons are also expected to come in through various border villages of Gada Korma, Bori, Kukub, Mado Adhi, Wayegodha and Uran.

Some households managed to move with their livestock including Camels (600), Cattle (2,852), Small Stock (700) and Donkeys (55). More displacements are expected as population movement into Moyale border in Kenya continues to be reported.

The incursion by the civilian population into Moyale, Kenya, is triggered by the ongoing tension and fears following reports of 210 persons being separated from their ancestral homes. Some of the displaced have integrated with their relatives, friends and kins from the Kenyan side, while some have camped in schools, churches, mosques and open spaces within individual compounds. The host community are currently providing part of the required humanitarian support.

Summary of the current response

Overview of Host National Society.

KRCS is the largest humanitarian organisation in Kenya, with presence across the country (with 64 branches and sub branches supporting a network of 98,000 volunteers). KRCS has wide acceptance across the country with capacity to operate in areas considered hard to reach, based on geographical isolation and limitations in humanitarian access. The society is designated as the first line of response in all sudden onset disasters by the Government and the Kenya Humanitarian Partnership Team (KHPT). It has an auxiliary role to both National and County Governments and carries learning from major humanitarian operations in the country including the 2007/08 election violence, where it played a key role in providing emergency services in health, WASH, camp management, protection, recovery and reconstruction.

KRCS has also established a complaint and feedback mechanism which include a toll-free telephone line, SMS, and committees among other mechanism. For the toll-free line, the mechanism aims at complementing the other complaints and feedback mechanism such as the use of beneficiary/community committees, the chiefs, and KRCS field volunteers and staff. This is now open to any community member who would wish to escalate their complaints to the headquarters.

KRCS also works in partnership with UNHCR in refugee camps in Kenya, and the Society has experience in thematic areas including camp management, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Health, Nutrition, Reproductive Health and HIV (care and treatment) and Sexual and Gender Based Prevention and response.

Following the current influx of Ethiopian refugees, Kenya Red Cross Society has taken the following immediate actions;

• Co-ordination -- A committee, made up of KRCS, County Government of Marsabit and representatives of Central Government was set up to oversee the initial rapid assessments. This committee provided the initial population estimates which has been used as a basis for the initial emergency interventions and will continue to be updated.

• Shelter - Standard NFI Kits (2 tarpaulins, 1 kitchen set, and 2 mosquito nets, 2 bar soaps, 2 thermal blankets and 2 jerry cans) for 1,000 families have been released and pre-positioned in Moyale (800km North of Nairobi).
Distribution is ongoing with the first group of 600HH having received NFIs on 14th March.

• Health - Two complete basic Inter-Agency Emergency Health Kits (IEHK), 2 supplementary kits and 1 Malaria kit have been released and are being used to provide basic health services to the displaced. 500 dignity kits (250 each for males and females) have similarly been distributed.

• Two Reproductive Health Kits (Kit 2A) have been released and are in use in rolling out the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP).

• A surge team of 12 people (who joined 3 local staffs) has been deployed. These include nurses, Clinical Officers, Public Health Officers and WASH Officers. The team is supporting initial assessment and early response.

• KRCS has deployed WASH personnel to provide hygiene promotion and construct temporary latrine facilities.
Water treatment chemicals will also be provided for purification of domestic water to reduce contamination.
Proper drainage will be ensured for vector control.

Further to this, KRCS has capacity to ensure continuation of the response considering its past engagement in the crossborder conflict as well as its large network of volunteers that comprises the local community. Historically, the border communities in Kenya have fought over resources such as pasture and water for their livestock, as well as over political boundaries and outcomes of local elections. KRCS has been at the centre of humanitarian assistance following these past conflicts; the most recent having occurred in 2012/13 on the Kenyan side of Moyale. This has made the organisation endear itself to the local population thereby, benefiting from the increasing community acceptance. In the 2012 conflict,
KRCS supported initiatives aimed at establishing long lasting peace and sustainable development in Moyale, by engaging the communities that were party to the conflict, leading to a peace agreement that was signed between the two communities in the presence of Head of State (who also serve as KRCS patron). These initiatives have, in the past, resulted into a positive impact on mitigating conflicts and strengthened socio-economic interaction and integration between the two countries at the border. The community is closely inter-linked, (on both the Kenyan and Ethiopian sides), and occasionally when conflicts occur, they play host to those fleeing violence (in 2012/13 conflict in Kenya, people fled to Ethiopia and this time round, the Ethiopians are fleeing into Kenya).

Kenya Red Cross is currently in discussions with British RC and ECHO on activating the Crisis Modifier, which is part of the ECHO HIP