Ethiopia: Information on the official position of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding Ethiopian asylum-seekers in Kenya, on whether Ethiopians are still seeking asylum in Kenya, and the procedures for obtaining asylum in Kenya, on whether asylum status is a given, and on the treatment of and employment opportunities for Ethiopian refugees in Kenya
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH24678.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Information on the official position of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding Ethiopian asylum-seekers in Kenya, on whether Ethiopians are still seeking asylum in Kenya, and the procedures for obtaining asylum in Kenya, on whether asylum status is a given, and on the treatment of and employment opportunities for Ethiopian refugees in Kenya, 1 August 1996, ETH24678.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac7574.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on whether Ethiopians are still making asylum claims in Kenya could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB. However, the UNHCR recorded 10,500 Ethiopian refugees in Kenya as of August 1995 (UNHCR 1995, 248), while the World Refugee Survey 1996 reported that "some 5,000 Ethiopian refugees remained in Kenya at the end of 1995 (USCR 1996, 53). The Ethiopian Herald reported in December 1995 that 4,000 Ethiopian refugees remained in Kenya following the repatriation of 3,300 Ethiopian refugees via UNHCR air charters and road convoys (30 Dec. 1995, 2).
According to a fax received from the UNHCR, Ethiopian asylum claimants must follow the same asylum procedures as all other refugee claimants in Kenya (15 Aug. 1996). The UNHCR has been the only "protection"-granting body in Kenya since the Kenyan government's office for determining Convention status refugees closed in 1991 (ibid.). Ethiopians who have been accepted as refugees since 1991 have become mandate refugees, which makes them eligible for assistance in refugee camps (ibid.). However, mandate refugees are not free to travel in Kenya, except for approved educational or medical purposes (ibid.). They also have no right to work permits or to be gainfully employed (ibid.). The fax mentions that "large numbers of refugees, including Ethiopians" live in urban areas without permission from the UNHCR or the government. For additional information on the situation of refugees and asylum procedures in Kenya, please consult sections "BBB" and "CCC" of the attached UNHCR fax, as well as Responses to Information Requests KEN24248.E of 28 May 1996 and KEN22637.E of 16 January 1996, both of which are available at Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
The Ethiopian Herald [Addis Ababa]. 30 December 1995. "Some 52,000 Refugees Leave Kenya in 1995."
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ottawa. 15 August 1996. Fax received by the DIRB.
_____. 1995. State of the World's Refugees 1995. New York: Oxford University Press.
US Committee for Refugees (USCR). 1996. World Refugee Survey 1996. Washington: DC: USCR.
Attachment
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ottawa. 15 August 1996. Fax received by the DIRB.
