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FAQs

What is a Recognition letter?

Answer: A Recognition Letter is a document issued by the government of Kenya that declares that an asylum seekers has been recognized as a refugee in Kenya. If an asylum application is rejected, the government issues a Rejection Letter instead. A rejected person can appeal the decision at the Refugee Appeals Board (RAB).

Answer:  This is a person who is not considered as a national of any state under the operation of its law.

Answer:  Normally, once the application is done, it should not take more than two (2) months to produce the ID.

Who is an Asylum seeker?

This is a person seeking refugee status and whose refugee status application is still under review in accordance with the provisions of the Refugee Act 2021.

It can also mean a person seeking refugee status in Kenya but whose claim for protection has not been ascertained.

Answer: This is a person who owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, sex, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable or owing to such fear, unwilling to avail himself of the protection of his/her country (Refugee Act, 2021).

Answer: Asylum seekers with valid documents and recognized refugees are protected against forcible return to their country of origin where they may face persecution. No proceedings are supposed to be instituted against a person in respect of his unlawful presence within Kenya if he or she has made a bona fide application for recognition as a refugee or once he becomes a refugee.

If an asylum seeker or a refugee has been arrested by the police and is facing charges for being unlawfully present in the country and he/she is an asylum seeker or a refugee, he/she should immediately inform the Department of Refugee Services for assistance through the contacts given in this website.

Answer:  A movement pass is a legal document issued by the Commissioner for Refugee Affairs to an asylum seeker or a refugee with a genuine reason to facilitate movement outside the designated area. Reasons for issuing a pass include; resettlement, medical, education, or on humanitarian consideration. Its validity must be stated on the document and the beneficiary should return to the designated area before it expires or risk being prosecuted for residing outside the designated area without authorization. Offences under the Refugee Act 2021 attract a jail sentence not exceeding six months or a fine of up to a maximum of Kshs. 20,000 or both.

 

Where can I get registered as an asylum seeker or a refugee?

Answer: Registration of asylum seekers and refugees is currently taking place in the refugee camps of Kakuma and Dadaab, Mombasa office, Nakuru, Eldoret office and Nairobi General Mathenge offices in Westlands.

Answer:  Anyone who wishes to visit refugee camps in Kenya is required to write an official letter to the Commissioner for Refugee Affairs stating the reasons why he/she wants to visit the camp.

He/she will also be required to attach copies of passports or ID and other documents from either the Media Council of Kenya, the Kenya Films and Classification Board or the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI).