Hidden and exposed: Urban refugees in Nairobi, Kenya

In Kenya, a country that today is home to more
than 374,000 refugees (UNHCR 2010), there has
been significant attention on the plight of refugees
living in overcrowded camps such as Dadaab in
the east of the country. Yet there has been little
focus on the growing number of refugees living in
its urban centres. Indeed, the exact size of the
refugee population in the capital city Nairobi is not
known. Official figures suggest there are around
46,000 refugees in Nairobi (UNHCR 2010),
however unofficial estimates are nearer 100,000
(RCK, 2008; Dix, 2006). Despite these high
numbers, both quantitative and qualitative
information available on these populations is
scarce. Urban refugees are dispersed over big
cities, often highly mobile and reluctant to come
forward for support due to fears that they could be
deported or sent to refugee camps. This makes
them a largely ‘invisible’ population, despite their
significant need for protection and other support
mechanisms.
It is in this context that the Humanitarian Policy
Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development
Institute (ODI), the International Rescue
Committee (IRC) and the Refugee Consortium of
Kenya (RCK) undertook this exploratory review to
develop a clearer understanding of the profiles
and challenges of urban refugees living in Nairobi.
This working paper also attempts to better
understand the policy framework for refugees in
Kenya and current assistance available to them. It
will contribute to a larger research initiative1
1. http://www.odi.org.uk/programmes/humanitarian-policygroup/
focus-displacement-migration-urbanisation.asp
led by
HPG that focuses on the phenomenon of
displacement in urban areas, across a number of
countries.