Story by KAYA DANAE
Photos by MBAZIRA MOSES and KAYA DANAE
Homophobia is pervasive in Kenya, and some LGBT refugees at Kakuma Camp say they have faced discrimination from fellow refugees and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) workers that has exacerbated living conditions in the overcrowded facility.
Mbazira Moses, a gay refugee currently living at the Kakuma Camp, said in an email interview, “I have been exposed to persecution and hostility ever since the time I arrived in Kakuma.”
Moses was assaulted and stabbed by a fellow refugee on Oct. 11, 2017. After reporting the incident to the police, Moses said nothing was done.
He claims he has been assaulted several times, but said police have never investigated. Instead of receiving help, Moses was jailed along with 18 other LGBT refugees who had peacefully protested their unfair treatment at UNHCR headquarters in Nairobi.
LGBT refugees peacefully protest at the UNHCR Headquarters in Nairobi.
After speaking with a lawyer, Moses was told to accept whatever charges were filed against him, as this was the only way he could expect assistance from UNHCR.
Established in 1992, Kakuma Camp is located in the northwestern region of Kenya. Ethiopian, Sudanese and Somali refugees fled their war-torn countries and came to Kakuma refugee camp, which is divided into four zones.
With an influx of new arrivals in 2014, Kakuma surpassed its capacity by over 58,000 individuals. The camp has expanded and currently holds 77,092 refugees, according to the UNHCR Kakuma informational pamphlet.
Moses said many of the staff at Kakuma Camp are homophobic and view the LGBT community as cursed. Individuals are not given the same opportunities as other refugees. They are not employable because of their sexual orientation and are not given proper medical treatment. Many medical centers refuse to serve them at all, he said, and if they are treated, they are often refused medication and treatment for HIV.
Moses Mbazira holds the LGBT flag in his tent at Kakuma Camp.
According to Moses and many other LGBT refugees living at Kakuma Camp, they face eviction due to homophobic neighbors, leaving them homeless in the camp. UNHCR has placed the LGBT community in a housing section next to the river, where they face flooding and mosquitoes. Many of the refugees have malaria and are not given the treatment they need. The homes themselves are just tents, not properly covered to protect from the rain.
Thirteen UNHCR employees stationed at Kakuma Camp were contacted about Moses’ allegations of mistreatment toward LGBT refugees in the camp. Only four responded, and they said they could not comment.
“Agony has brought action,” Moses said. “Many of the LGBT members who have been granted asylum and refugee status under UNHCR within Kenya, receive consistent persecutions and grief by the host community and other members living within the camp. We (LGBT Community) have articulated our concerns to UNHCR but have been overlooked. This has caused a need to call on UNHCR to permit us a convention letter that will grant us a fair free movement to seek asylum in a country where we reserve the same rights as other refugees regardless of our sexual orientation.”
Barnabas Wobilaya, 36, is a gay Ugandan refugee and HIV/AIDS activist who was resettled in Salt Lake City. He fled Uganda and arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2015. Wobilaya became an HIV/AIDS activist in Uganda because he had two siblings who lost their lives to HIV. Because of his activism, he was exposed as a gay man in the newspapers, lost his job, and had to move around a lot for his own safety.
“When you get to Kakuma, there is no housing. You arrive at the camp, and they give you land. You build your own house. They give you poles and a tent to put up yourself, some people use iron sheets for their roof,” Wobilaya said.
“The LGBT people are always the last people to get the services they need, always,” he said.
“Their cases are not being worked on. They have been there for years. Three years, five years. Cases of LGBT refugees are supposed to be fast because their need is so immediate. We suffer. I know people that have been in Kakuma since I arrived in Kenya that have still never seen their files. They don’t know what’s going on. Nothing happens.”
The resettlement process is in the hands of the Government of Kenya. Because Kenya still maintains largely homophobic outlooks and policies, many LGBT folk are treated as criminals rather than asylum seekers and refugees.
“When I was in Kenya, I could not find a job,” Wobilaya said. “Kenyans know that many refugees from Uganda are gay. They are very homophobic. You go to the store to buy something, and they say ‘Uganda?’ and then they kick you out. You cannot buy things, if you can’t speak Swahili they will not give you service. They then say ‘these are gays’ in Swahili and you know to leave or else you will be beaten.”
LGBT refugees attempt to drain the water from the river that flooded their tent in Kakuma Camp.
Wobilaya was evicted from homes three times because his landlords discovered his sexual orientation. Many LGBT people are forced to live in Kakuma because landlords refuse to rent to them in Nairobi.
The UNHCR used to give refugees a stipend of 6,000 Kenyan shillings, which is about $60 U.S. per month. With that, they were supposed to pay their rent, medical bills, transportation cost and phone bill.
“Today they give them $45, but you have to pass an assessment that your living conditions are horrible, many people have to live in one room, a lot end up on the streets as sex workers so they can afford to live,” Wobilaya said.
“Now that I am in the States it is difficult to find ways to help. They tell me ‘we are dying’ and I can’t do much. After I pay my rent and bills I send my leftover money to my LGBT friends in Kenya. So I ask, let us help these people. Let’s fundraise. Help them to buy food,” Wobilaya said.
At Kakuma camp, World Food Program ( WFP) in partnership with UNHCR provides food distribution (maize, peas, flour, cooking oil, soap, salt, porridge) and some essential items like soap and toothpaste to every refugee within the camp.
However, the food supply has been continually decreasing, Wobilaya said, leaving LGBT refugees at a disadvantage since they are unable to find work and buy their own food. UNHCR has not created a system to notify LGBT members about their case progress levels, and they feel they cannot turn anywhere for support.
Wobilaya encourages the LGBTQ community in Utah to help. “We in the LGBT community are one big family, so advocate for your brothers and sisters; that’s the only thing I ask.”
You can contact Tayyar Sukru Cansizoglu, the UNHCR head of sub-office in Kakuma, at cansizog@unhcr.org and you can donate to the LGBT Kakuma refugee community through a fundraiser established by a Salt Lake City LGBT activist.
LGBT refugees peacefully protest at the UNHCR headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Connell O’Donovan, local LGBT activist, displays the LGBT flag. Photo provided by O’Donovan.
Barnabas Wobilaya, a gay Ugandan refugee now residing in Salt Lake City. This ohoto and the next three small ones by Kaya Danae.
Gerald Brown sits at his desk at the Utah Refugee Education & Training Center.
A farewell photo given to Brown from his colleagues.
Utah Refugee Education & Training Center, where Brown and Gulal work.
Mbazira Moses, who provided the following photos, poses with the LGBT flag.
LGBT refugees at Kakuma Camp proudly display the LGBT flag.
LGBT refugees peacefully protest at the UNHCR headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
LGBT refugees make the trek from Kakuma Camp to UNHCR headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
LGBT refugees camp along the outskirts of Nairobi before they protest the next day.
18 LGBT refugees are arrested after peacefully protesting at UNHCR headquarters.
LGBT refugees imprisoned in Nairobi after peacefully protesting their unfair treatment.
Prison where 18 LGBT refugees were held.
An LGBT refugee displays his wounds after being attacked by a fellow refugee because of his sexual orientation.
Another LGBT refugee shows his wounds.
A closer look of the mans wounds.
Another LGBT refugee displays the facial injuries he sustained from a hate crime.
Another LGBT refugee shows his injuries after an attack.
An LGBT refugee sits in a wheelchair after having his leg broken in a hate fueled attack.
Police form that Moses filled out to no avail.
Refugees wait at the UNHCR food distribution center to gather their portions for the day.
Refugees wait at the UNHCR food distribution center to gather their portions for the day.
LGBT refugees wait for their portions at the food distribution center, but are the last to be served.
Refugees at Kakuma Camp gather water after flooding.
Refugees at Kakuma Camp fill containers with water to bring back to their tents.
UNHCR provides LGBT community with tent structures, but no cover to protect from the elements.
Housing in the LGBT enclave at Kakuma Camp.
A typical home found in Kakuma Camp.
LGBT tents placed by the river are flooded.
LGBT refugees try to drain the water from their tent after being flooded by the river nearby.
Flooding at Kakuma Camp.
A view inside of a tent that has flooded.
LGBT refugees display their pride despite persecution.
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Filed under: Immigrants & Refugees, Law and Justice, LGBTQ, Medicine, Nonprofits, Organizations, Student-Journalists | Tagged: gay discrimination, kakuma, kenya, LGBTQ | 3 Comments »
I have been on the search for a story my entire life. Early that story was my own. I have been on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, I have been an air traffic controller, I have been a paramedic. I have even been a security guard for a big budget movie set. But, more recently I have become interested in the stories of others. I have returned to photojournalism in an effort to both fill my need for adventure and to fill my need for a good story. 
Hannah Christensen wrote for Voices of Utah as a student journalist during spring 2018. Christensen is a marketing professional at the Career & Professional Development Center at the University of Utah, an office dedicated to the success of students during and after college. In her role as marketing coordinator and lead graphic designer, she often writes content for the website and marketing materials.
I’ve realized that being a “nag” goes against every fiber of my being, but I’m learning to quash that. I think a lot of that is being socialized as a woman since I was a kid to be polite and quiet, and to not bother people. I’ve realized that not only do I have to get over that, but also that the catastrophizing I do in my head about people being mad at me is just that, in my head.
However, I didn’t think I’d be interested enough or find enough information to make multiple stories and I was sorely mistaken. I’ve found myself very enthralled with the worldwide refugee situation and locally in Utah too. Integration for these people is a crucial issue that we haven’t found a solid system for yet and I think more stories about this topic can help move it forward.
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