Refugees across Kenya deal with horrible living situations and money troubles, according to a new study from human rights groups. These groups wrote a report for the United Nations about how badly Kenya treats people running from danger in other countries. The study shows Kenya makes it super hard for refugees to work, learn, or see doctors when they need help. Many refugees end up stuck in camps where bad people can hurt them, force them to work or trick them into illegal activities.
Kenya makes refugees wait forever to renew their papers, putting them in a weird middle place where they can't prove who they are. The country takes way too long to decide if someone counts as a refugee, leaving many people without the help they need. Cops often arrest refugees whose papers have expired during these long waits, and some police officers bully them for money. Most refugees came from nearby troubled places like Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda, but others traveled from Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi to escape fighting.
Around 3,000 refugees stay stuck at places called Kakuma and Kalobeyei, and many have lived there for over two years already. The report blames Kenya's 2021 refugee law for making everything worse by blocking people from even asking for protection. These refugee camps pack way too many people together, creating serious health problems from bad water and not enough bathrooms. Kenya and Uganda have already agreed to send about 1,500 refugees back to their home countries.
The World University of Canada found that refugees barely ever get work permits in Kenya because they must prove they have amazing skills no Kenyan has, which almost nobody can show. Money problems hit refugees extra hard since banks won't accept refugee ID cards as real identification. A report from UNHCR and the World Bank discovered only 2 percent of refugees in Kenya can get bank loans because financial companies refuse to recognize their documents as legitimate.
Kenya makes refugees wait forever to renew their papers, putting them in a weird middle place where they can't prove who they are. The country takes way too long to decide if someone counts as a refugee, leaving many people without the help they need. Cops often arrest refugees whose papers have expired during these long waits, and some police officers bully them for money. Most refugees came from nearby troubled places like Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda, but others traveled from Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi to escape fighting.
Around 3,000 refugees stay stuck at places called Kakuma and Kalobeyei, and many have lived there for over two years already. The report blames Kenya's 2021 refugee law for making everything worse by blocking people from even asking for protection. These refugee camps pack way too many people together, creating serious health problems from bad water and not enough bathrooms. Kenya and Uganda have already agreed to send about 1,500 refugees back to their home countries.
The World University of Canada found that refugees barely ever get work permits in Kenya because they must prove they have amazing skills no Kenyan has, which almost nobody can show. Money problems hit refugees extra hard since banks won't accept refugee ID cards as real identification. A report from UNHCR and the World Bank discovered only 2 percent of refugees in Kenya can get bank loans because financial companies refuse to recognize their documents as legitimate.
