Eritrean minors detained at Lodwar police station get help
Lodwar Police Station signpost where eight Eritrean minors are detained over no travel documents.
It has emerged that eight Eritrean minors who are being detained at Lodwar police station in Turkana County have been subjected to gruesome living conditions for two weeks now and that the next course of action remains unclear.
The minors were in the company of 60 suspected illegal immigrants from Eritrea, who were arrested on October 5, 2023, at Todonyang in Turkana North Sub County, and for weeks now, the children have been confined in an incomplete building at the station, attracting concern.
Seven children are aged between 10 and 17 while the youngest is a one-and-a-half-year-old girl.
The adults appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Desderias Orimba of Lodwar Law Court were found to be unlawfully present in Kenya without valid entry documents and are in custody at Lodwar Prison, while the minors occupy an incomplete structure at the police station.
Some police officers have since donated beddings to see them through the cold nights, but feeding the children remains a challenge.
Kenya Red Cross official Rukia Abubakar said they encountered the case of the minors during a routine assessment of the police station only to find them unaccompanied or separated from their relatives who are at Lodwar GK Prison.
The humanitarian agency has donated dignity kits that comprise basic sanitary and hygiene necessities for both boys and girls.
“We have also provided sleeping mats, blankets, and mosquito nets for all as well as kitchenware and basic supplies for the mother of the youngest girl who is still breastfeeding,” Ms Abubakar said.
Relevant authorities are still considering whether to refer them to Kakuma Refugee Camp or repatriate them.
Human rights defender Joseph Egelan said a proper holding facility was needed for minors who currently mingle with adult criminals in the cells.
“The male and female cells are small in size with poor ventilation and often crowded, meaning separated or unaccompanied minors were subjected to potentially traumatic life events that would negatively impact their health,” Mr Egelan said.
