UNHCR welcomes Kenya High Court decision on urban refugee rights
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
UNHCR welcomes the High Court of Kenya's ruling which upholds the asylum right of urban refugees. The decision, reached on 26 July, relates to the "Petition number 19 of 2013" in which refugees challenged a directive issued by the Government of Kenya in December last year to transfer refugees from urban areas to the refugee camps at Dadaab and Kakuma.
The High Court ruled against the directive which had particularly dire consequences for the protection and well-being of refugee communities in Nairobi and other cities in the country.
Indeed, as a result of the directive Somali refugees and asylum seekers began to report increased police harassment, detention and extortion mainly in Nairobi. Many of them could not move about freely and fear of such treatment led hundreds of Somali refugees to return to Somalia or move to neighboring countries.
As of December, there were a total of 51,000 mainly Somalia urban refugees in Kenya.
Most of the refugees living in urban areas have developed coping mechanisms, and so do rely on humanitarian assistance. There are also large numbers of refugee children attending schools in urban areas whose education would have been compromised had the relocation order been carried out.
In keeping with its mandate, UNHCR appeared in the petition as a "friend of the Court" or "Amicus Curiae" and provided advice on the applicable international refugee and human rights laws.
UNHCR hopes that the government will implement this important constitutional decision and move fast to resume legal services that were suspended pending the court process. These include the registration and issuance of documents to refugees and asylum seekers, which are essential for their freedom of movement, access to social and community benefits, as well as their protection against arbitrary arrest.
UNHCR believes that this court decision is important for the jurisprudence on refugees' rights not only in Kenya but also around the world.
Kenya hosts some 600,000 refugees.
For further information on this topic, please contact:
- In Kenya (Nairobi): Emmanuel Nyabera on mobile +254 733 995 975
- In Geneva: Daniel MacIsaac on mobile +41 79 200 7617
- Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba on mobile +41 79 249 34 83
Related news and stories
Q&A with Mary Maker, UNHCR's newest Global Goodwill Ambassador
As the Horn of Africa drought enters a sixth failed rainy season, UNHCR calls for urgent assistance
Kenya's Dadaab camp swells with Somalis fleeing drought, conflict
Kenya's Dadaab camp swells with new wave of Somalis fleeing drought, hunger and conflict
UNHCR welcomes Kenya's decision to end statelessness for the Pemba people
Somalis flee drought and conflict to Kenya's Dadaab camps
Your search for « kakuma » matched 995 results. Displaying page 25 of 111 pages.
-
UNHCR 2009 Annual Report Public Health and HIV: Country Fact Sheet - Kenya
May 2010 ... received about 62,000 new arrivals which continued to exert pressure on resources and infrastructure. Relocation of about 13,000 refugees to Kakuma changed the demography and population of Kakuma. ...... -
Working with Persons with Disabilities in Forced Displacement Facilitator's Guide
12 Jul 2021 ... Dedefi, 14, is a student at Mogadishu Primary School in northwestern Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp. ... sport activity in Kakuma refugee camp thanks to Special Olympics Kenya and Handicap and Inclusivity. ...... -
Refugee tailors switch to making face masks and protective gear
27 Apr 2020 ... tailoring business in north-western Kenya’s Kakuma camp, realized that his skills could be put to ... to the office of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Kakuma to be distributed to staff working there. ...... -
Conflict and drought force more Somalis to flee to Kenya
25 Sep 2009 ... Dadaab and started the relocation of some 12,900 refugees to Kakuma camp in north-west Kenya. ... convoy of 13 buses with 650 refugees on board left Dadaab on Wednesday and arrived in Kakuma today. ...... -
Kenya: Malnutrition levels in refugee camps cause alarm
3 Jul 2007 ... in the Dadaab camps and 15.9 percent in Kakuma camp, well above the World Health ... Kakuma camp houses 62,000 persons with about 10.5 percent of the population under five. The camps ...... -
Report on Kenya stakeholder consultation on strengthening refugee protection, assistance and support to host communities in Kenya and comprehensive plan of action for Somali refugees, 17 and 18 May 2005, Hilton Hotel Nairobi, Kenya.
18 May 2005 ... ... Somalia, and the Sub-Offices in Dadaab and Kakuma. 6. The Consultation was structured in such a ... Gaps Analysis was placed on the Dadaab and the Kakuma camps, it was important to acknowledge that ...... -
Introducing the Female Condom in Refugee Settings: A Guide for Implementation
1 Mar 2006 ... Communication Strategies employed by NGOs in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya (December 2002) Evaluation ... 2005) Acknowledgements Numerous refugees in Kakuma refugee camp have shared their insights on the ...... -
Current Challenges in the Resettlement of Minors through UNHCR and the Best Interest Determination (BID) Process
1 Jun 2003 ... ... Large numbers of the Sudanese child and youth population remain in Kakuma with little hope of ... Geltman’s study and the separated Sudanese refugee children in Kakuma provides an opportunity for ...... -
2017 Revised South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan - January - December 2017
May 2017 ... ... provide basic assistance in Kakuma, including to 1,784 unaccompanied and 8,699 separated children. ... In-kind and cash- based interventions are provided to refugees in Kakuma and Kalobeyei but food ......