Refugees cut off by Kenya floods

Kenya has banned travel in and out of Dadaab refugee zone

Thousands of Somali refugees in Kenyan camps have seen their shelters and belongings destroyed by severe flooding in the east of the country.

At least two refugees have been killed and many camps cut off by floodwater, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday.

The plight of refugees in one camp has been compounded after the Kenyan government restricted access.

The ban was imposed to stop young refugees being recruited to fight in Somalia, the Kenyan government said.

Tens of thousands of people fleeing fighting in Somalia have arrived in Kenya in recent months.

Homes destroyed

Both the UN's World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency say many refugee camps in eastern Kenya are now inaccessible.

The UNHCR said at least two refugees, one a three-year-old child, have been killed and thousands of shelters destroyed by floodwater.

The worst effects were felt in the low-lying Ifo camp, where 90% of the settlement's 54,000 refugees have been hit by the flooding.

Aid workers have been unable to reach nearby Dagahaley camp but it is believed that up to 80% of the camp's 37,000 residents have lost their belongings and many makeshift homes have been destroyed.

The WFP said a number of its feeding stations were underwater and trucks have been unable to deliver food.

The organisation said it hoped to be able to deliver some food by air.

Travel restrictions

In north-eastern Kenya more than 150,000 people living in the Dadaab refugee zone have been grounded by a blanket travel ban imposed by the Kenyan government.

Only aid agencies will be allowed to transport materials in and out of the Dadaab camps, Kenyan television reported.

A Kenyan government official told the BBC that the travel restrictions were intended to prevent refugees being recruited to fight in neighbouring conflicts.

Siras Gitau from Kenya's ministry of internal security said: "Leaders in the north-eastern province were involved in recruiting young people to go to that country [Somalia]."

The BBC's Bashcash Jugsoday in Garissa said that the ban would have a major impact on businesses run by Somali refugees inside the camps.

This could have serious consequences as 90% of the refugees' livelihood comes from such businesses and only 10% from aid agencies, he said.

On Monday, Kenya banned all flights to and from neighbouring Somalia, citing security reasons.

The Kenya Red Cross says the number of people affected by the floods has now risen to about 200,000 people.