LGBTQ Refugees Attacked Again in Block 13 – Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya

It is hard to even find words for the suffering of LGBTQ refugees in Block 13, Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. For more than two years, they have been attacked by local people, other refugees, even the security forces charged with protecting them. Last night, August 16, 2021, several of their shelters were set afire. Fortunately, no on was hurt but many of the refugees lost everything they owned.

Some of the shelters in Block 13, Kakuma Refugee Camp, after night fire on August 16, 2021.

These people, through no fault of their own, are stranded in this camp where they cannot really build a life. They need immediate evacuation for their safety and they need permanent re-settlement in countries where they can live out their lives in peace.

To my American friends: Please call your Senators and members of the House of Representatives at 1-202-224-3121, and the State Department at 1-202-647-6575. Leave messages demanding action on evacuation and resettlement. Several months ago, they were promised that the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Process will begin but it has not yet begun. So they wait in great danger.

Amnesty International and other human rights organizations are aware of their plight and are working on it but the needed action really comes down to the countries who can resettle them: the USA, the UK, Australia, and Germany. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is ultimately responsible for them. But they have not shown a willingness to keep them safe or to get the resettlement process moving.

If you are on Facebook, I would urge you to visit Victor Mukasa’s page. He has a wide range of resources there as well as a GoFundMe page that helps Block 13 with basic needs of food and medicine. Any help you can offer will be of use to very vulnerable people.