Kenya

Advocacy for Kenya

What’s Happening?

Kenya hosts 823,932 refugees, comprising 604,269 refugees (73%) and 219,663 asylum-seekers (27%).

750,000 refugees from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Burundi. However, Kenya’s encampment policy denies refugees freedom of movement, the right to own property, and access to the labor market. In late 2021, Kenya enacted a new refugee law that, if fully implemented, could drastically improve refugees’ access to their rights.

What Must Be Done?

Kenya should ensure that it meaningfully implements its new refugee law and include refugees meaningfully in its economy. Doing so will benefit both refugees themselves and their local Kenyan counterparts. Donors should provide flexible funding to support Kenya’s implementation of the new law, particularly considering that the places where the refugee camps are located need more investment because of their previous history of marginalization.