The World We Want

Chapter 18: Immigration, IDPs, Slums, and Camps

Flora has been at the forefront of helping immigrants and internally displaced persons in the country. 

Dadaab is one of the refugee camps that hold people from unstable Somali land, who run away from war. Here ten of thousands of refugees reside as they hope for a better future. Flora who is the first lady of the country has visited here to see the conditions of the people. In such visits, she always gives out provisions like sanitary towels, food, and clothing. Purity always accompanied Flora for such activities. 

At the Camp, people receive the first lady happily. She is taken round to see the state and conditions of the camp. 

Thousands of makeshifts are all over the camp. No proper drainage systems at all and the place are extremely littered. A few weeks ago there was an outbreak, many contracted Cholera and twenty lives were lost. 

The camp is very hot, no water, it lacks enough toilets and this makes the place dirty. People are living hands to mouth, and the economy here is very bad. Purity gathers some women to have some talk with them, she talks to Fatuma and Lisa. 

“Tell me how is life in the Camp.” 

They look at her as if saying we wish you knew how terrible life is here. Fatuma decided to go first and explain her experiences in the camp. She has four children, two girls, and two boys.

“Life in the camp is never good. We are here because this is the only option we have. Here no one will shoot us, but it has other issues.”

“Can you guys explain to me in detail what exactly happens here.”

“Okay, when I first arrived here from Somali one year ago, I never thought or imagined this is how life would be. The camp is full of bad things, corruption has destroyed everything here. The ones controlling these camps take advantage of the situation to benefit themselves both with materials and physically.

I am a single mother of four children, the camp does not provide for us fully. For me even to get this makeshift where I sleep with my children I had to get laid by one of the officials. That is how you can get favors back quickly here in the camp. I have had to get laid by many different men just to be able to provide for my children.

I am not proud of what I am doing, but the system here has been designed in a way you have no other option. The officials and relief organizations are using our misery to benefit and make themselves rich.”

Fatuma says all these as she sheds tears, her face showed the extreme pain she has been undergoing. Purity pats her shoulders as she consoled her, this was a nightmare for them. Lisa picks up and continues with their talk.

“We have been doing this for so long. People come here and ask to interview us after the interview nothing is done, we have cried and lamented for so long. Nevertheless, we have not given up because this is the only way to get our voice out there for the world to hear our cry.

I have a daughter who happens to be very beautiful. When she was born I was happy that he has blessed me with a beautiful daughter. After we arrived here I realized her beauty was her disadvantage because all men want her. She has been r***d five times so far.”

“When do they r**e her?”

“They come at night with knives, threatening to cut my throat or her s if we scream. When you report the next day, everyone ignores you and claims why you never screamed. Security is not available here, you cannot keep anything of worth inside the makeshifts, they will definitely take it. 

Due to lack of food, many young girls are forced to give their bodies in exchange for food, the men who participate in this are those with money and positions in the camps. These men seem to enjoy this kind of life at the expense of other people’s discomfort.”

Flora on the other hand did not like the state of the camps and resolved to solve this problem, to the men, women, and children present. She was sad that children never got an education, girls never got sanitary towels, and families never got food which the government always supplies to them. 

The issue was taken very first by the president. Eight months down the line houses were built, schools were built, industries were built and all the refugees moved to the new city, some kilometers from the camp. Fatuma and Lisa were given important positions in running the city and protecting all the women and young girls. 

One year later. 

Purity and Flora visited again to see the new city and they were pleased to see that people were once again happy. 

Due to such initiatives and the success of wiping out the Dadaab camp, the government planned another project for wiping out all slums in the country. Kibera and Mathare are the biggest slums in East Africa and the government took the step to wipe them out.

This was faced with tight opposition and war from the cartels but the president was ready to fight them back hard. The president built Konza city which had very many flats beside the slums.

After a period of two years, moving people from Kibera and Mathare slums to the new apartments began. Citizens were convinced about this decision, and the land of Kibera and Mathare was made government property. Those people who tried to oppose the government were arrested and the slums were cleared out and government offices were built. 

This was a great move from the government of Kenya. The same strategies were used by other nations like the United States, Canada, Australia, India, Japan, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Greece which all have refugee camps and constantly deal with the issue of immigrants.

Mshapa moved forward and urged the governments of each country to protect the immigrants as they sort the issues of failed states and restore them before returning the people to their country. 

In a meeting with the Secretary-general for the UN, the president laid out measures to be taken to handle this issue. 

“When immigrants or rather refugees come to your country you do not have to put them in camps. Give them a good place and let them work as they wait to return to their homes. Let them settle then sort the issues in their countries if the leaders are misbehaving in their countries, wipe them out, and have people who will lead the country well.

If another country is causing trouble to another country then they should be dealt with too. We need to face these issues with no fear. We need to punish these idiots on our planet who think they can go around causing trouble to a whole generation.

These people want to see others sleep out like animals in the name of power. What madness is this? We as leaders of the world should not reach that extent. Our duty is to lead people in the right direction and not destroy people’s lives. That is totally unfair Mr secretary-general. 

I would say this, my country would be ready to fight for other nations whom their leaders have become dogs. We promise you, people, that no one will stop or get scared, with their viruses and nuclear weapons we shall silence them soon.

We want a plant where we cherish and protect our environment fully.

Leaders should stop being mediocre and serve their people.”

Mshapa finished his discussion and the world so what he said, many were happy, others were not happy.

Back at home, Mshapa had something to solve. Getting a baby to him had become an issue, he was castrated before being killed. He did not want to tell anyone, he had gone to the cave several times to seek a solution to this but no solution was provided by the Gods.

Her wife was sad about this and tried to think of a way to solve this issue. She thought hard about it but could not come to a conclusive solution or rather decision. Her marriage was cold and had no heat anymore, they have made love many times until they don’t want each other anymore.

Mshapa thought of telling his father but not really, he wanted this to be his secret alone.

“Darling I understand our situation but I promise we shall overcome it.”

Flora laid on the bed facing the other side, she was not in the mood to talk to his husband. She just goes out in public and displays a happy face but she is not happy in marriage. She did not know what was the problem with her husband and she did not know how to deal with this. 

“It is okay, can we talk about this another time? I am very tired. We can talk tomorrow,” she said.

“But you always say this to me, it has been several months since we had a substantive talk between us.”

“What do you want us to talk about?”

“We can talk about us, one issue should not make us enemies, we need to talk about it and see how we can solve it.”

“That is okay, can we talk about it tomorrow please.”

“As you wish.”

They go to sleep, Flora knew she had to do something and save this marriage, on the other hand, Mshapa felt something must be done quickly. He never thought his issue would come to this extent.

People around them wondered why the president’s family was not having a baby. Others started insinuating that the wife could not bear children and should be replaced with another woman immediately.

Bloggers went a niche further in proposing another woman the president should marry. Why does it always have to be a woman when it comes to the issue of conceiving? Why do women get blamed always? 

Mshapa could not hold anymore this shame, her wife was being shamed for something she did not do. Mshapa knew exactly where the problem was and no one dared asked him, even Pepo the general who is the close confidant to the president. 

Flora kept calm and never showed that something was wrong in her home. She always gave the best smile ever, but every time she was alone in the house she could cry out loud and shed all her tears out. She soaked herself with tears out of pain, she wanted babies but her husband could not give her children.

She kept shedding her tears for herself.