An Oromo activist in Nairobi, crosses his arms in an Oromo symbol of solidarityCREDIT: Charlie Ensor/IRIN
Bribes, harassment, and detention
Kenya has an encampment policy – refugees are supposed to stay in one of two vast refugee camps that house 489,000 people: Dadaab and Kakuma. That means those found in urban centres without proper documentation are vulnerable to extortion and intimidation by the police.
Refugees IRIN spoke to in Nairobi mentioned regularly having to pay bribes to avoid harassment. The going rate is up to $200 for a permit to avoid being sent to Kakuma.
Life for those who can’t afford to pay is bleak. "Because I don't have my papers I stay at home so that I can be safe from police,” teenager Fozia told IRIN.
Fozia fled Ethiopia following a brutal crackdown on students in her hometown in Oromia. After student protesters dispersed, she says police followed her home, then raped and beat her. She decided to flee.
Despite coming to Kenya as an unaccompanied minor, Fozia hasn’t been helped by the authorities. Without the ability to bribe registration officers at Nairobi’s government-run refugee registration centre, Shauri Moyo, she can’t officially register with UNHCR for refugee status determination.
"I was given a movement pass to Kakuma, but I feared going there, especially as a young girl,” she explained.
Neither can Fozia afford to bribe officials to gain an all-important exemption permit that would allow her to legally avoid going to Kakuma.
"Without that, I’m told by UNHCR to either go to Kakuma or register for exemption at Shauri Moyo,” she said.
Many other refugees face the same hurdles.
"I still haven’t received exemption,” another former Oromo politician and victim of torture in Maekelawi who preferred to remain anonymous, told IRIN.
"I’ve been ordered to bribe officers with $200 to gain exemption from camp,” the former politician said. "I don’t have that sort of money. I also stay indoors to avoid having to pay police officers that harass me.”
Following registration with Shauri Moyo, refugees can then apply for a government of Kenya "alien card” for asylum recognition. But several refugees told IRIN that this process also entails under the table payments – ranging from $300 to $485.
Such allegations of corruption and extortion are denied by Kenya’s Refugee Affairs Secretariat, known as RAS.
UNHCR "concerned”
Once refugees are able to access asylum, their cases are referred to UNHCR for refugee status determination, which is necessary for official recognition as a refugee.
But many refugees are having to wait years to even get an interview.
"I was supposed to have an appointment in March this year,” one woman complained. "You just turn up to their office [UNHCR], stand in line, and wait for your turn. Then they tell you that they can’t see you that day.”
She went on to explain how they typically just give you another appointment letter with a different date and year and tell you to wait.
"They didn’t even give me another appointment date last time – they just told me that they would call me,” she said. "I still haven’t heard anything yet [since her March appointment].”
Recognising these concerns, the UN refugee agency insisted it is committed to improving the registration system.
"UNHCR is concerned about the time being taken for asylum seekers and refugees to receive proper documentation,” UNHCR’s Ndege told IRIN, adding that it was working to streamline its registration processes.
But Horne from Human Rights Watch said neither UNHCR nor RAS are doing enough right now to protect vulnerable Oromo.
"Country guidelines on Ethiopia that officers use to assess asylum claims should be updated as they are over 10 years old and do not remotely reflect the current situation in Ethiopia,” he said.
Oromo opposition to rulers in Addis Ababa stretches back centuries. The current ruling party, the EPRDF, has used federalism to dilute that dissent, but it has persisted.
In the unrest in 2016 and 2017, the Oromo were joined by the second largest ethnic group, the Amharas, in the demand for political reform – posing a significant challenge to the government.
Reform at last?
In a surprise announcement at the beginning of the month, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced that his government would close Maekelawi prison and release political prisoners in a move he said would advance political dialogue with opposition groups.
"The regime realises that the political landscape is shifting rapidly and that they have to find a way forward to deal with ethnic tension and communal violence,” Ahmed Soliman, associate researcher at Chatham House, told IRIN.
But this all depends on how sincere the government is on reforming and its willingness to admit the violations it has committed – including in neighbouring countries.
As Amnesty International researcher Fisseha Tekele put it after Desalegn’s announcement: "A new chapter for human rights will only be possible if all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment are effectively investigated and those responsible brought to justice.”
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Ethiopian Oromo refugees face bribes, harassment in Kenya
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