Letter to the Hon. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - Norton Requests U.S. and UNHCR Investigate Conditions Facing Ugandan LGBT Refugees in Kenya

Letter

Dear Commissioner Grandi:

I write to request that you investigate the condition of Ugandan LGBT refugees in Kenya.

As you know, following Uganda's passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2014, hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of Ugandans fled to Kenya because of persecution related to their sexual orientation. Making same-sex sexual activity punishable by up to life in prison, the Anti-Homosexuality bill was later nullified. As has been frequently reported, however, that law led to increased homophobia in Uganda, which has led to further emigration.

The situation Ugandan LGBT refugees face in Kenya is appalling and needs to be investigated and improved immediately. I understand that Ugandan refugees regularly face assault, theft and worse, including by police, because of their status. Unable to speak the native Swahili, they cannot find jobs and live in terrible conditions, often including being forced into sex work. They lack basic food, shelter and medical care.

Many of these refugees are pressured to go into the United Nations High Commission on Refugees' (UNHCR) Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya, one of the largest refugee camps in the world. I have been informed that the conditions in this camp are also inexcusably appalling, with many LGBT refugees again facing antagonism stemming from intolerance there.

I request that you respond in writing within 30 days of the date of this letter addressing these ongoing issues and how UNHCR will work to improve the conditions of LGBT refugees in Kenya.

Sincerely,

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