office in Nairobi was considered a quiet. comfortable post that dealt mainly with legalistic matters. It was headed by Sylvester Awuye. a Ohanalan legal officer who had virtually no experience in handling a major refugee influx. But as Somalias victorious rebel coalition splintered into warring factions in mid1991. refugees began moving across the border into northern Kenya. The trickle soon became a flood. and Kenya was engulfed in a refugee crisis. For most of the malnourished. dehydrated refugees who began staggering in. the first stop was Liboi. 10 miles from the Somali border. At the time. the area had one borehole to provide water for Kenyan villagers. Another was dug and fitted with a pump. but it soon proved inadequate as refugees arrived by the thousands. * * * firm in September 1991 to build refugee camps at Walds and 11o. and Libol was redesignated as a "reception center." The firm also was supposed to build a second borehole at Liboi. but the project soon became paralyzed by squabbling. The firm complained that the UNHCR constantly changed its mind about what it wanted. the relief agency accused the company of incompetence. The matter is now in the hands of lawyers and has not been resolved. The result was that. for six months. nothing was done to ease Libols water shortage. Refugees were forced to wait in long lines under scorching sun for up to 12 hours a day to receive a couple of quarts of water. Problems with diarrhea and dysentery among the Somalis grew worse. and the death rate climbed. "Many of these deaths are preventable." Kenyan doctor Erastus Kiratu said here earlier this year when Somalis were dying at the rate of 10 a day. With more water. he said. "we could save many lives." The German government eventually stepped in and built a second borehole at Libol in March.
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refugees Refugees refugee