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Expectant Refugee Mothers Find Solace in Continued Maternal Health Services During COVID-19
Eliana was four months pregnant when she heard about the first novel coronavirus case in Kakuma refugee camps in northwestern Kenya. “I was scared that, with most services closing down, the hospitals would close, too,” said the Burundian refugee. “Later, I saw that...
New evidence emerges from study of socioeconomic impacts of statelessness
Poverty, illiteracy, being turned away at clinics. These are difficulties 44-year-old Angeline knows all too well. She was born stateless in Kenya and for most of her life, faced day-to-day challenges associated with lacking a national identity card. “I did not go...
Kakuma refugee camp: UNHCR calling for calm after confrontation between refugees and the local community
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for calm and the easing of tensions in Kakuma refugee camp after yesterday’s violent confrontation between some LGBTI refugees and members of the local community. The incident left one female refugee sustaining minor injuries...
Refugee Olympian Yiech Pur Biel named UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced the appointment of South Sudanese track and field athlete Yiech Pur Biel as their newest Goodwill Ambassador. A refugee, Pur was forced to flee the conflict in South Sudan in 2005, journeying alone to Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya when he was only […]
Home at last: For refugees in Kenya, moving from temporary shelter to newly built houses makes a world of difference
Kika stands outside her door and waves at her neighbours before opening the blue door that leads to her living room. At the far end is a solar-powered television set neatly surrounded by a group of plastic seats. Since her new house was completed nearly a year ago,...
UNHCR applauds Kenya’s decision to resolve the statelessness of the Shona and other communities
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the Government of Kenya’s decision to grant citizenship to 1,670 stateless Shona and 1,300 stateless persons of Rwandan descent who qualify under the law as Kenyan citizens. President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the landmark...
UNHCR deplores tensed situation in Kakuma, renews call for dialogue and peaceful solutions
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, expressed today its concerns about the increasingly tensed situation involving a group of some 20 refugees who self-identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Intersex (LGBTI) in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. In total, there are nearly 300 LGBTI refugees and asylum-seekers currently living in […]
UNHCR urges dialogue and peaceful coexistence among refugees in Kakuma refugee camp
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, called today for enhanced dialogue among refugee communities living in Kakuma to help reduce the tensions which have emerged in a specific area of the refugee camp. In recent weeks, UNHCR has received conflicting reports from different communities who have been accusing each other of […]
Kenya Live Blog: COVID-19
UNHCR, Government, donors, partners and refugees are all partnering together in Kenya to fight the spread of the corona virus in refugee camps.
‘I want all Shona women to see that they can be anything they want’
Over 18,000 stateless people in Kenya struggle to access basic services as they lack official identity documents. A young woman has made history as the first stateless Shona woman to make it to university.
UNHCR deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in Kakuma refugee camp
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply saddened by the recent tragic loss of two refugee lives in two separate incidents in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. We wish to express our most sincere condolences to their families and friends. Last night, a refugee was killed and another one wounded during […]
UNHCR Kenya Statement on false claims about transfer of refugees from Kakuma to Nairobi
This statement is issued in response to recent false claims on social media that UNHCR was involved last week in transferring refugees from Kakuma refugee camp to Nairobi. The encampment policy of the Government of Kenya dictates that all refugees and asylum-seekers on Kenyan territory must reside in one of […]