Refugees struggle for basic rights amid administrative barriers

The law promises all refugees living in Kenya the freedom of movement, the right to work and access to financial services.

However, for Ahab Gedi who lives in the Dadaab camp, these promises remain a distant mirage.

Dadaab, Kenya’s largest refugee camp, is home to a highly vulnerable population, mostly youth, women and children.

Despite the government's long-standing hospitality, many residents remain without work permits, business licenses, travel documents, identity cards, or even birth certificates.

Gedi arrived in Kenya from Somalia in 1982, barely two years old, fleeing the civil war with her family-parents and four siblings.

Now over 42 years later, she remains stateless-unable to work, move freely or even access financial services such as opening a bank account.

“It’s heart-breaking to see someone who has lived here for more than 40 years, with no legal status-neither Somali nor Kenyan,” she says.

She spoke during a refugee and refugee-led organisation consultations, part of the 2025 Securing Documentation Campaign organised by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT), and Oxfam International, held in Nairobi.

At the camp, she says that, without documentation, movement is restricted. “Dadaab is an ‘open prison’ a place where many of us have lived our entire lives without even stepping outside the county. If you are arrested, you cannot explain who you are,” she says.

Gedi’s story echoes the anguish of thousands of refugees trapped in administrative limbo.

Bahana Mirindi, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, arrived in Kenya in 2015. He enrolled at the University of Nairobi and graduated successfully. However, Bahana remains excluded from formal employment, due to lack of work permit.

His refugee ID, while technically valid, is not recognised by key government systems. “Although I have a refugee ID, I can't use it to apply for any document such as KRA PIN or a driving licence,” he regrets.

Mirindi explains the system disconnect makes it hard for him to access healthcare, education, social security or register a business.

Some refugees, desperate to survive, use Kenyan proxies to register businesses or property, which leaves them vulnerable to fraud and exploitation.

“I have thought about registering a business through Kenyan friends. But the rate at which refugees are being swindled out of their businesses and investments, scares me,” he says.

Irene Shiundu, Regional Advocacy Coordinator at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is at the forefront of a coordinated push to dismantle the documentation barriers that keep refugees marginalized.

She emphasizes that real transformation requires systemic reform. Through the Rebuild Program, Irene says they are helping both Kenyan and Ugandan refugees gain access to documentation.

“Realising that Kenya and Uganda host nearly 69 per cent of refugees in East Africa, we have launched Securing Documentation Campaign, a regional initiative to resolve barriers around access to documentation for refugees,” Irene explains.

Designed to address both policy and practice, Irene reveals, the campaign brings together refugee leaders, legal experts, civil society and government institutions across East Africa.

The IRC in collaboration with other partners is leading the campaign through an advisory committee established in May 2025. This committee includes refugee leaders and community-based organizations, human rights defenders and legal experts.

Others are representatives from IGAD, the East African Community, national and sub-national policymakers and government bodies such as Kenya’s Department of Refugee Services and Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

The campaign seeks to streamline and clarify documentation procedures, eliminate redundant steps and strength accountability.

“We’re also addressing the misinformation, since majority of refugees are unaware that most government services should be free for them, just as they are for citizens. We’re pushing for that equity,” she says.

At the end of the process, Irene reveals that a Refugee Documentation Guideline will be produced, a booklet outlining the documents required at each stage, from registration to accessing healthcare, employment, travel, and social services.

As this initiative unfolds, Didier Habimana waits with bated breath for the long-awaited impact. A Rwandan refugee who has lived in Nairobi for over 20 years, Habimana explains, despite calling Nairobi home, lack of documentation has shut many doors of opportunity.

He shares, one of his biggest struggles was getting a work permit. At one point, he landed a Pan-African job as a content moderator for the Rwandan and Burundian markets, but was denied work permit, without explanation.

“When l learned about the job, l rushed to submit every required document. However, it took nearly seven months to get a response, long after I had already been lost the opportunity,” he recalls bitterly. He adds, the permit eventually expired without ever being used.

In 2022, Habimana faced yet another setback, while preparing to attend his cousin’s wedding in Zimbabwe. He submitted his application months in advance, but was told, apparently, attending a family wedding wasn’t considered a valid reason to travel.

Hundreds of refugees confide of paying intermediaries to help them ‘push’ their applications through the system-an act they felt is necessary due to how opaque and sluggish the system has become, but results often come too late, or not at all.

Some say they’ve been held at airports for hours, while others have been denied travel altogether, even for critical opportunities like special education programs, training sessions, and international workshops.

This campaign is advocating for inclusion in SHIF and NSSF, aligning with the government's own declarations that anyone residing in Kenya is entitled to social health coverage.

Irene reveals, while progress has been made, especially with the recognition of some documents by the government, there is still a long way to go. “Recognition must now translate into effective access to rights and services,” she explains.

She adds, “Our collective aim is to shift the conversation from mere legal status to practical inclusion, enabling refugees to contribute economically, socially, and politically to the countries that host them.”

Through this structured, evidence-based campaign, Irene hopes they can bring meaningful, lasting change to the refugee documentation landscape in Kenya, Uganda, and across East Africa.