The number of Somali refugees at Dadaab camp has reduced from 245,000 to 231,000, the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported.
UNHCR gave a report on the state of refugees worldwide on Wednesday as World Refugee Day was marked.
The agency said that Kenya is hosting at least 500,000 refugees and that there are 2.2 million in East Africa.
In Kenya, majority of the displaced persons are from Somalia (58.2 percent) and South Sudan (22.9 percent). The Democratic Republic of Congo accounts
for 7.3 percent and Ethiopia 5.7 percent.
The main refugee camps in Kenya are Dadaab, which hosts many Somalis, and Kakuma, which hosts a large number of South Sudanese.
Kenya asked refugees to leave the camps voluntarily after announcing plans to close them for reasons including insecurity.
Several rights groups opposed the move and Amnesty International released a report that stated that the people were being forced out.
The report showed that many returnees left Dadaab because of dwindling food rations and services, or because of fears, stoked by Kenyan government officials, that they would be forced back with no assistance.
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UNCHR noted that
conflicts and wars are the major reasons for the displacements.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the civil war that broke out in South Sudan in late 2013, when troops loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar, the former Vice President, launched a rebellion against the government.
Machar arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday for a meeting with South
Sudan's President Salva Kiir, as part of talks to try to negotiate an end to the five-year-old war.
A booming Somalia descended into anarchy after strongman Siad Barre was overthrown in the 1990s. The armed conflicts pitted warlords and clan militia that led to the collapse of the official state. All institutions shut down, rendering the once-vibrant country a failed state. The country is also battling terror group al Shabaab that wants to take over and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
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Challenges at the refugee camps include
poor sanitation, lack of infrastructure and a wanting teacher to student ratio.
UNCHR added that the refugees' movements are limited by the requirement of permission from the agency, a process that is sometimes lengthy.
The agency also highlighted the benefits that Turkana residents have reaped from the Kakuma camp.
They can access health care, education and improve their business by supplying merchandise to the camp, it said.
The national and Turkana governments came up with Kolobeyei settlement scheme in 2015 to improve the welfare of locals and refugees. The refugees can open up businesses, interact with residents and have access to healthcare.
This year's theme for World Refugee Day was 'Now more than ever, we need to stand with refugees'.
UN High Commissioner Filippo Grandi emphasised this when he asked countries to support refugees, through actions such as recognising them as locals, so they can realise their potentials.
“On World Refugee Day, we remember that protecting people fleeing persecution, violence and war is a basic act of humanity shared by all cultures and enshrined in international law,” he noted.
Syria has the highest number of refugees worldwide with over 50 percent displaced. There is also concern about the Rohingya in Myanmar.
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