Kenya: 1) Was there a wave of Ugandan immigrants coming into Kenya during 1972-1973? 2) Treatment of Ugandan workers and illegals in Kenya; 3) How one can obtain citizenship and residence status in Kenya; can a Ugandan living in Kenya for 15 years automatically obtain Kenyan citizenship or residency?

1) The atmosphere of constant violence during General Idi Amin's rule between 1971 and 1979 caused tens of thousands of Ugandans to flee their country. During Amin's eight-year dictatorship, it is estimated that 100,000 to 500,000 Ugandans were killed by Amin's terror squads and security services. [FootnoteS

 Ed Hooper and Louise Pirouet, "Uganda", Minority Rights Group Report No. 66 (London, July 1989), p. 7.] "Those who had been lucky to leave the country before the axe fell had done so, and had sought refuge in the neighbouring countries and abroad", according to a 1977 report of the International Commission of Jurists. The report indicated that by 1973, "over 2,000 Ugandan refugees [were] given permission to live in Kenya". [ International Commission of Jurists, Uganda and Human Rights (Geneva, 1977), pp. 50-60.]

2) For many years, there have been tensions between Kenya and Uganda. The two countries' relations were severely strained throughout 1987, with charges of spying and armed incursions being levelled and indignantly denied by each government. [ Colin Legum, ed., Africa Contemporary Record: Annual Survey and Documents 1986-1987 (New York: Oceana Publishing Company, 1988), p. 479.] Following the death in Kenyan police custody of a Ugandan national, allegedly as a result of torture, the Ugandan government reportedly called on all Ugandans living in Kenya "to return home as their safety could no longer be guaranteed". [ Ibid.]

According to several sources, in mid-March 1987, President Moi of Kenya ordered a crackdown on all aliens living illegally in Kenya, accusing them of "perpetrating acts of violence" in the country. Following the President's directives, Kenyan police deported or detained thousands of foreigners, including over 600 Ugandan nationals. [ Keesing's Record of World Events 1987 (London: Longman Group UK Ltd., 1987), p. 35431; "Ugandans Deported From Kenya", BBC Monitoring Service, Summary of World Broadcasts, 2 April 1987.] During 1988, the Kenyan government remained concerned about the impact that the presence of foreign nationals in Kenya has on its relations with its neighbours. To this end, in July 1988, the Kenyan President warned foreigners who had sought refuge in Kenya that they would be deported if they are caught interfering in the affairs of their respective countries. [ U.S. Committee for Refugees, World Refugee Survey: 1988 in Review (Washington, 1989), pp. 41-42.]

According to a January 1989 BBC report, the Kenyan government dismissed 2,000 Ugandan teachers from Kenyan secondary schools in December 1988, stating that "Kenyan youths should be taught by Kenyans". At the same time, the government reportedly terminated the services of all 80 Ugandan doctors employed in government hospitals. [ "Government Sacks 80 Ugandan Doctors", BBC Monitoring Service, Summary of World Broadcasts, 16 January 1989.]

3) For information on the acquisition of Kenyan citizenship, please find attached a copy of the relevant section from the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya.