NAIROBI, Kenya (KAAB TV) – Kenya’s Ministry of Interior has issued a directive requiring refugees and asylum seekers to surrender their passports or travel documents by the end of October or face legal consequences, including the loss of refugee status and potential deportation.
The order follows reports that some refugees have been using passports from their home countries to travel abroad, raising concerns about possible fraud and abuse of the refugee system.
Refugees now have 30 days to comply, according to John Burugu, Kenya’s Refugee Affairs Commissioner.
“The Department of Refugee Services has banned refugees from using passports from their countries of origin due to concerns about misuse,” Burugu stated. “Failure to comply will result in strict legal actions, including the cancellation of refugee status and possible deportation.”
The directive primarily affects Somali refugees, the largest refugee group in Kenya, many of whom have fled ongoing instability and drought in Somalia.
Most of these refugees reside in the Dadaab complex, with others living in the Kakuma camp and Nairobi. As of April 2024, there were 299,567 officially registered Somali refugees in Kenya, including 17,915 in Nairobi.
However, unofficial estimates suggest there may be between 50,000 and 100,000 Somali refugees in Nairobi alone.
Burugu emphasized that refugees wishing to travel legally can obtain machine-readable travel documents from the Department of Refugee Services to comply with the new directive.
Somali refugee leaders have raised concerns about the regulation, particularly given Somalia’s recent inclusion in the East African Community (EAC), which complicates the legal status of Somali refugees holding Somali passports.
“The law puts us in a difficult position,” said Abdullahi Ali Adan, chairman of Dagahaley camp. “Many refugees now have to choose between keeping their passports and maintaining their legal refugee status in Kenya.”
Adan also criticized the 30-day deadline as insufficient. “Many refugees need passports for business, and obtaining refugee travel documents is not easy. This timeframe is simply too short.”
In response to these concerns, Kenyan officials have met with Somali refugee leaders and are reportedly considering an extension to the deadline.
Talks between Kenyan and Somali refugee leaders are set to take place next week.
Somalis make up over 96% of Kenya’s refugee population, according to UNHCR data.
Human rights groups have previously accused Kenyan authorities of discriminatory practices toward Somali refugees, referencing the mass deportations of 2014, which were widely condemned by international organizations.