NAIROBI, Kenya – Rutembesa Innocent, a former journalist who worked with several regional media outlets and is also reported to have served as an information officer with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) armed forces, says he is seeking official refugee status and asylum documentation in Kenya.
Speaking to 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 , Rutembesa claimed that Kenyan authorities have retained his mobile phone for more than six months, a situation he says has left him unable to communicate effectively and has heightened concerns about his personal safety.“I am an undocumented refugee,” Rutembesa told our reporter, adding that he fears for his security.
According to Rutembesa, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒛𝒖𝒃𝒂 𝑻𝑽 he previously worked with a number of media organizations, including East African Report, Africa News, VOA (Radio Agasaro Kaburaga), Bwiza, Izuba TV, and EAR TV.
He also stated that he comes from a cross border family background, with his father originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo and his mother from Rwanda.
𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 further said that he was previously arrested in Kakuma, Turkana West, Kenya, before being released. He maintains that he is seeking legal protection and formal recognition as a refuge.
On the other hand, there is information reaching our reporter that the Kakuma Police have an intention to kill Rutembesa Innocent. We call on countries like Norway, France, and Bergium to follow up on this issue
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 has independently verified all of Rutembesa’s claims, and Kenyan authorities had not publicly commented on the matter at the time of publication.
This version follows standard journalistic practice by clearly attributing the claims to 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 and noting that they have been independently verified
𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 .𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑼𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂
