On 1st of October, the LGBTQ refugee representative team in Kakuma refugee camp wrote to UNHCR requesting for a dialogue, to come up with solutions to challenges that the LGBTQ refugee community in Kakuma are facing. 

According to UNHCR’s first response via email (screenshots of emails attached below as pictures), they were ready to proceed with the dialogue but on 8th October 2023, UNHCR informed us through an email that they weren't ready to have a meeting because government officials weren't available yet. 

However, on date 10th December 2023, a representative team from LGBTQ refugees again reached out to UNHCR with a petition (attached below as a picture) with several requests and issues, plus a request of a dialogue still. And after several times of consecutive conversation with them (UNHCR), they came up with a date 19th December 2023 for the dialogue. 

By 9:00 am, the meeting had started at UNHCR field post office 4 and ended at 12:00 pm.

ATTENDEES. 

1. UNHCR - United Nations High Commission for Refugees

2. DRS - Department of Refugee Services 

3. LGBTQ REFUGEES REPRESENTATIVES (30)

4.  WORLD VISION 

5. WORLD FOOD PROGRAM (WFP) 

1. A guy from UNHCR (moderator) made an introduction. He welcomed all the attendees and allowed all refugee representatives to introduce themselves first and then followed up by the rest of the officials. 

2. He then asked Albert one of the representative of LGBTQ refugees in the meeting to read the petition that was presented by lgbtiq refugees. (the petition is attached as a picture below). 

3. Each organisation started reacting to the points in the petition respective of their organisational/office responsibilities, duties and mandates. 

4. It was DRS that reacted first to issues raised because RSD (Refugee Status Determination) interview was the first point by Beverly.  He reacted to a point of, "what criteria are they using right now to carry out RSD? This is because the system of first come first serve isn't so, it exhibits alot of discrimination of queer asylum seekers and it's so corrupt." 

He responded that in 2021, they were only working on asylum seekers who arrived in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and below. 

In 2023 August, they started interviewing each and everyone randomly because they had cleared up all the rest of the other years and besides, they had been directed by Nairobi Commissioner office to do so. On the same issue, he gave an excuse of interpreters as another reason for delay in their service delivery. 

He addressed the issue of delayed mandates and decisions, (after the RSD, a person has to be notified of the decision within a few months and given a mandate, or able to appeal if they're rejected) by saying that those who did RSD in 2021, 2020, 2019 and below need to get their decisions, and on this matter, a letter has already been issued to the government commissioner's office in Nairobi requesting him to issue these decisions earlier next year, 2024. However, he made an excuse of the change of system (from RAS- Refugee Affairs Secretariat to DRS) and employees, all delayed most of this work, including decisions.  He said that by July 2024, all mandates/decisions will be out. 

Then the camp manager reacted to the point of not registering new queer arrivals. Even though this was being denied by the camp manager and his deputy, they couldn't escape it because we had asylum seekers from Kaloboyei settlement reception centre in this same meeting who haven't been registered because they are queer simply because the Kenyan law doesn't allow us now. 

"The norms and culture in Kenya doesn't allow homosexuality, we can't host you anymore." The camp manager said. 

Refugees pressed him to make him self clear.

"He said that since the government, Parliament and President are against queer refugees, plus homosexuality, his office therefore can't help us too."  the camp manager added. 

What they can offer is allowing us being in the camp but without anything moving on like registration, RSD interviews or even resettlements. Currently, a certain Senator tabled an issue in parliament asking why Kenya is welcoming queer refugees yet homosexuality is against the country norms, constitution and culture." The camp manager added. 

He added that nothing much we should expect because after all even our country doesn't want us anymore. We are on our own. 

Geofrey, a gay refugee representative asked about the delay in getting us refugee status which has stunted our ambitions and goals in education and work plus international protection (resettlement). 

Camp manager said that everyone is free to go whenever they want to. No one is holding us back in the camp, and if anyone wants to go to Mombasa for swimming, he can issue a movement pass for this. He added that, "frankly, we don't want any of you here. If our president doesn't like you, then why us?" 

UNHCR informed us that DRS wanted to go and that they need to leave because of other commitments. 

About the new system of booking for RSDs on the machine automatically, the corruption in the booking system, the unconfidentiality during about RSDs, Inna (a UNHCR employee) talked about a group of 12 lgbtiq refugees who went to the camp managers office (Kasili Mutambo) and he granted/permitted them with RSDs though no one is sure about how and why he ended up blessing these 12 people to do their interviews after meeting him privately in his office. Additionally, Inna confirmed that some people in the camp among the LGBTQ refugees get to know about our interviews, something that's contrary to their privacy regulations. 

The camp manager said that all others who haven't done RSD interviews are going to do them earlier next year. He concluded that those with no manifests, will never be registered at all because they are no longer welcoming lgbtiq asylum cases anymore in Kenya. 

On the issue of queer people who haven't been registered and have no manifests, one UNHCR guy was concerned about it. He mentioned to DRS that if a person has no manifest (not registered by the government), UNHCR’s protection is so difficult for them. He ended up saying that it would need them (UNHCR) to write to the government commissioner in Nairobi for answers and solutions about not registering lgbtiq new arriving cases.

Ben, one of the LGBTQ refugee representatives talked about the fact that Kenya is still bragging about being the only country in East Africa welcoming queer refugees, which is wrong at this time. This is evident on several information online. He added that they need to change all that so as no more queer people fall in this trap again like us. We came to Kenya hoping that since they are the only country in the region welcoming lgbtiq people fleeing their countries. No one reacted to this issue though. 

Refugees stressed government officials with inquisitive questions like, “what have you been doing to support lgbtiq refugees for all the past years that your now coming out proudly chasing us out of your country with no help!!?”

The camp manager said that they are currently having an ongoing program to help all refugees and asylum seekers where they are shifting from refugee camps to settlements in a program named Shirika plan, that we the LGBTQ refugees also need to embrace this program too. 

He was immediately informed by refugees in the meeting that lgbtiq refugees can't integrate in Kenya according to the Shirika plan because it would only expose us and put our lives to more danger. The Shirika plan is not designed enough to favour lgbtiq refugees therefore, we can't rely on it at all. 

At this point, Department of Refugee Services (DRS), World vision and WFP had to leave the meeting and we remained back with UNHCR in the meeting. 

Mable, a lesbian and a representative of LGBTQ refugees asked, "now that the government has shown their stand, then what do you have for us as UNHCR. This is because, we can't go back to our home countries, and still even our asylum government Kenya has failed to protect us: the only things we are getting here is dreadful conversion therapies, physical and verbal attacks even from police, host & refugee communities. 

No one from UNHCR reacted to this. 

John, a gay refugee representative asked if UNHCR can take lgbtiq refugees in another country temporarily as they are looking for another destinations or solutions, but still, no one replied to this. 

However, what they said was that the only solution are the complementary path ways ( refugee private sponsorships/resettlements) and that they are only willing to help anyone with private sponsorships and with only your country passport. UNHCR is ready to help us go back to Uganda to get a passport if we don't have any or expired and if anyone is interested in getting them. 

Everyone left the meeting heart broken, hopeless, disappointed because even refugee private sponsorship organisations like Rainbow Railroad are taking so long to help. Other refugees are going to South Sudan yet even its costly and risky security wise. This follows the fact that a group of almost 25 queer refugees who had been stuck in Kakuma refugee camp for years looked for their way to South Sudan in early 2022 and later in 2024, they have all been resettled to USA. 

Our hope is no where, we are doomed and the only option we have right now is suicide and hunging our selves.