Kenya
Country Director
Doris Kawira
Office Locations
Nairobi: Eastleigh, Kayole, Kawangware, Mimosa
Founded
2002
Staff Size
128
Kenya is host to close to 560,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and other countries in the region. The urban refugee population in Nairobi has increased; around 95,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in Nairobi and other urban areas. Kenya also has nearly 18,500 stateless individuals, many of whom live in Nairobi or the coastal region.
In the early 1990s the Kenyan government established Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in northeast and northwest Kenya, enacted restrictions on freedom of movement, and limited the criteria for refugees eligible for assistance in Nairobi. Refugees and asylum seekers face a complex legal environment. Through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework refugees should be able to receive healthcare and education like Kenyan citizens; however, in practice, for many refugees there are barriers to access.
8,751
people reached directly through services and activities in 2021
Our Work
HIAS Kenya integrates best practices based on international standards with a focus on community-based protection and empowerment. We work to advocate and promote durable solutions for refugees, including local integration, safe and voluntary repatriation, and third-country resettlement. HIAS Kenya continues to monitor and adapt programs in response to the government of Kenya’s policies.
Impact Story
I Never Thought It Will Happen to Me
Baraka fled his home in Rwanda and wound up in Kenya, where many LGBTQ people from East Africa have gone to escape persecution. HIAS Kenya works with many such refugees, providing shelter, mental-health counseling, and other services that often save lives.
Read more
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