Activists Demand Action for Queer Refugees in Kenya

At Kenya’s sprawling Kakuma refugee camp, one of the world’s largest, LGBTQ refugees says they’re repeatedly beaten by locals and other refugees.

According to Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (Friar), A coalition of international queer activists has been calling on United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) to live up to its mandate to ensure effective and guaranteed security for the LGBTQ+ refugees in Kenya.

There are hundreds of queer refugees from across East Africa sheltering in Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwest Kenya. Their suffering is indescribable, as they face inadequate medical care, lack of food and housing, and frequent homophobic assaults. They haven’t received much protection from the UNHCR.

The violence has left many queer refugees wounded, with some even fleeing to Nairobi. Ernest (Aneste) Mweru was found dead, either thought to have committed suicide or to have been murdered. One queer activist has been threatened with eviction from Kenya. 

“My lawyer advised me to take extreme caution until the case is finally settled. The mentioning is next week on the 27th of May 2020. My life is on the line … I have been advised not to use any form of media or communication gadgets that would lead to me being tracked down and possibly brutalized or even murdered by whoever it is that has always wanted me silent. I am trying as much as possible which is not hard enough to be on the low. I am scared and fearful,” said Mbazira Moses.

For his courage in publicly addressing the assaults and violent homophobic attacks at Kakuma Refugee Camp, Moses Mbazira, founder of Refugee Flag Kenya, is being punished and threatened with eviction. Moses is a refugee who fled queer related violence at home in Uganda and is facing deportation for the audacity to fight for our civil and human rights.

“Police have promised to shoot all homosexuals seen protesting in any form. While all this is going on… We are still strong and stand with hope that we shall overcome one day,” According to Refugee Flag Kenya on Facebook.

Most of the LGBTQ+ refugees have been placed in a particular area of the Kakuma Refugee Camp, administered by the UNHCR, the Governor of Turkana, and the government of Kenya. Security has primarily been undertaken by a mercenary-for-hire policing organization, G4S. In a recent interview with Christiane Amanpour, President Kenyatta asserted that gay rights are of no importance in Kenya. He was reflecting on the overwhelming culture of homophobia in the country, yet offered the view that no one should be beaten or assaulted. Yet despite this, many have faced violence, assaults, and brutality. 

The ultimate enemies of the refugees are transphobia and homophobia. Yet, the president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, believes that queer rights are of “no importance” in the country, according to CNN.

In December 2018, due to pervasive homophobia, a group of refugees held a peaceful march to protest the assaults and violence. The marchers were assaulted violently by police, G4S security, and some members of the host community. Many were relocated to Nairobi. For some time, HIAS provided relief in the form of food, medicine, and some funds for rent and the like but this has ended.

Others trying to return to Kakuma on UNHCR’s command have found themselves limbo in an area called “Reception.” They sleep on the ground, have little food, and only sporadic access to medical care. Some of the refugees have children with them. Subsequently, in May of 2019, Moses was imprisoned with community members, where they were tortured in custody and slept handcuffed. An attempt to fatally poison Mr. Mbazira was made, resulting in permanent liver damage. These links underscore the violence he and many others have faced:

“UNHCR must live up to its mandate and assure the SECURITY of the LGBTQ+ community. Despite entreaties, letters, and demands from a number of people, their cries for help have been ignored. We need the international community to shine a spotlight on the tragic situation at the Camps to give leverage to UNHCR so they can help persuade Kenyatta that the persecution of LGBTQ+ community members is a violation of human rights” said the press release sent out by Friar.

Fiar stated in the press release that as members of the Refugee Community and International Supporters are calling on UNHCR to provide:

• Accelerated resettlement, in light of the threats faced and the added risks of COVID-19;
• Providing SECURITY for all LGBTQ+ refugees in Kakuma and in Nairobi;
• Access to food and clean water;
• Provision for rent coverage by HIAS for those in Nairobi;
• Sensitivity and further training of security personnel;
• Appropriate legal representation for LGBTQ+ refugees;
• Ongoing negotiations to work with President Kenyatta in assuring an end to assaults and violence.

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