Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has gazetted refugee documents as essential for accessing government and private sector services in Kenya.
Officials said this is a major milestone in refugee empowerment and a step forward in the social economic inclusion of the group and asylum seekers.
Kindiki backdated the gazettement to September 2023 which will among others enhance employability opportunities and other empowerment pathways for the group.
“The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares the following documents as Refugee Identification Documents for purposes of acquiring services provided by the Government of Kenya,” the notice dated September 19 reads in part.
The documents include an asylum seeker pass, proof of registration, movement pass, letter of recognition, refugee identity card and conventional travel document.
The Commissioner for Refugee Affairs John Burugu hailed this as a major milestone in refugee empowerment, dignifying their identities and the right step forward on social and economic inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya.
“The gazettement enhances employability opportunities and other empowerment pathways, skilling, attachment and overall enjoyment of refugee rights on livelihoods, education, health, social protection and documentation,” he said.
This is part of plans to solve Kenya’s longstanding refugee situation.
In May, Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said he had launched a technical team that will design a comprehensive strategy for the refugees’ repatriation and integration.
The Intergovernmental Steering Committee on Kenya’s Marshal Plan for Refugees was expected to draft viable proposals on support for displaced persons to reduce overreliance on humanitarian aid.
He said the framework will take a development-oriented approach in harnessing the refugees’ inherent socioeconomic potential to empower them and promote their self-reliance.
“It aims at enhancing access to effective registration, documentation, basic services such as education, healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), energy, jobs and livelihoods,” the PS said.
He made the remarks during the launch of the committee in Nairobi.
According to the PS, the plan will also guide the conversion of refugee camps to integrated settlements and expand their access to support for safe and dignified repartition as envisioned in the Global Compact on Refugees.
With growing concerns over the increasing tension and conflict due to competition for limited resources and the dwindling resettlement space, Bitok underscored the urgent need to ease the pressure on host communities through locally sustainable solutions that will enhance and promote resilience.
“At the heart of the marshal plan is the host community. We will work to ensure the host community members are the direct beneficiaries of all development programmes in refugee hosting areas,” he said.
“It is important that there is equity in terms of assistance provided to promote peaceful co-existence.”
Kenya currently hosts close to 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with more than 577,000 registered and more than 200,000 profiled in Dadaab and Kakuma.
Besides the consequent financial burden, the situation continues to pose serious security challenges, which will also form an important aspect of the marshal plan.
According to Internal Security and National Administration PS Raymond Omollo, the refugee crisis has presented significant security challenges for Kenya, with intelligence reports showing instances during which this population has been used as a cover for criminal and terrorist activities.
The situation has also brought to light an increase in smuggling and human trafficking, which Omollo said the government of Kenya has undertaken to address through the Refugees Act, No 10 of 2021.
“Subsequent regulations are being formulated that will go with the Act in terms of how to manage refugees, but the integrated approach under the Marshal Plan will help us deal with acts of terrorism and radicalisation because we will be able to empower even the host communities so that they can identify potential troublemakers,” the PS said.
He said the gazettement of additional refugee camps in Dadaab and Fafi late last year has improved the identification and processing of refugees.
In the face of strained capacity, law enforcement and other security agencies in Kenya have heightened border surveillance against illegal crossings and enhanced asylum/refugee screenings for security risks.
The government is also progressively investing in more security installations around the camps and advancing community policing interventions to guard against infiltration by criminals and other malicious actors.
Refugees have vast experience and skills in various fields while others have professional qualifications but have been lacking documents to show for it, officials say.