Kenya’s Refugee Act (2021) formally grants recognised refugees the right to work, but accessing that right has been a major challenge.
- •Bureaucratic delays, policy contradictions, and digital barriers are locking many refugees out of formal employment, according to a new report by the Refugee-Led Research Hub and the Amahoro Coalition.
- •The report, Pathways to Formal Employment in Kenya, highlights the disconnect between Kenya’s legal framework and the realities faced by refugees on the ground.
- •Private companies show some willingness to work with refugees as suppliers or business clients, but uncertainty over documentation and long processing times discourages direct employment.
Section 28 of the Refugee Act allows refugees to engage in gainful employment and practise professions where their qualifications are recognised. In practice, however, refugees must also apply for a Class M work permit under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, administered by the Directorate of Immigration Services, which operates separately from the Department of Refugee Services.
Refugees are required to submit a recommendation from the Department of Refugee Services, an employment offer, a Kenya Revenue Authority PIN, and a UNHCR recognition letter. Yet employers often demand proof of a work permit before offering a job, creating what the report calls a “vicious cycle.”
Despite the law permitting employment, the country’s longstanding encampment policy restricts freedom of movement. Kenya hosts more than 836,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with roughly half living in Dadaab and nearly 300,000 in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. Refugees living in camps must obtain special passes to seek work in cities, a process many describe as leaving them “without autonomy.” Only about 106,000 reside in urban centres such as Nairobi and Mombasa, where formal jobs are concentrated.
Even when applications are submitted, the process is slow and unpredictable. Many refugees report waiting months, sometimes years, only to have their applications rejected with the vague explanation of “No merit.” Of the seven refugees interviewed for the study, only one had successfully obtained a work permit. Researchers note that the requirement to demonstrate “special skills” unavailable to Kenyan citizens is exclusionary and often unrealistic.
Digital and financial barriers further hinder access to work. Government platforms such as eCitizen and eFNS frequently cannot process applications because refugee IDs are not integrated into the National Registration Bureau database. Banking access is also limited, as most institutions require a KRA PIN, a refugee ID, and a work permit. Without these documents, many refugees are forced into the informal economy or must rely on cash and mobile money.
The report recommends simplifying or removing the Class M permit requirement for refugees, improving coordination between immigration and refugee authorities, integrating refugee IDs into national digital systems, expanding digital skills training, and accelerating issuance of refugee identity cards.
