Several Bantu refugees have accused Abdullahi Ahmed of using his position to extort money in exchange for his help. He denied the charge and in turn accused the rival faction of peddling ration cards to non-Bantus for $3,000 each.
Kakuma resident Abdul Haji, 37, said families like his were caught in the middle. "When two elephants fight, it's the grass that is destroyed," he said. "We are the grass."
To weed out potential fraud, U.S. officials added the final interview in Nairobi. The questions are seemingly simple: How many windows does your house have? How many shirts does your father own? What did the family eat for breakfast three days ago?
But the interviews have raised concern among some immigration officials. Groups such as the IOM, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Joint Voluntary Agency, which assisted in an earlier screening process, say they know little about the Nairobi interviews or the reasons behind many of the rejections. Officials from these agencies say the final decision should be made before families leave the camp.
"We have expressed some concerns to [the Department of Homeland Security] about the manner in which it is being done," said Rosella Pagliuchi-Lor, assistant representative for the U.N. refugee agency in Nairobi.
Strassberger said the interviews were conducted in Nairobi because refugees, immigration officials and staff interpreters were intimidated by gang members in Kakuma. He said refugees sent to Nairobi were given documents stating that their eligibility for resettlement was conditional pending a medical examination, security clearance and the final interview.
The refugees in St. Louis, home to one of the largest Somali Bantu communities in the U.S., insisted that those left behind were legitimate family members.
Ali Abdullah Durow said his 59-year-old mother-in-law was sent back to Kakuma without explanation. Awes Haji Fairus produced a list of the names and camp identity card numbers for 19 members of his extended family who were sent back in December 2004.
Osman Liban said two of his seven children, Ali and Daud, were sent back to Kakuma in October 2004. The remainder of the family boarded the U.S.-bound plane to avoid the same fate.
Ali, now 20, said that before the family left Kakuma, he had refused to pay a $500 bribe to camp leader Ahmed. He didn't tell his father about the threat. But as soon as his exit interview in Nairobi began, he knew that something was wrong. "I was being questioned like a criminal," Ali said. "I felt like a suspect."
