Effect of Biometric Registration on Urban Refugee and Asylum Seeker Management in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Globally, urban refugees and asylum seekers have been viewed with suspicion by security agents in host states. They are seen as illegitimate and unwanted in urban areas. In Kenya, urban refugees and asylum seekers have been constantly blamed for increased insecurity in urban areas particularly in Nairobi. Subsequently, there has been repeated attempts by the government of Kenya to forcefully remove refugees and asylum seekers from Nairobi and confine them in the refugee Camps. Biometric registration is one of the innovations that have been developed to offer identification solutions to host states for refugees and asylum seekers, including biometric registration of urban refugees and asylum seekers. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of biometric registration on urban refugee and asylum seeker management in Nairobi. It focused on examining the extent to which biometric registration enhances access to basic education services to urban refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi, the extent to which biometric registration of refugees and asylum seekers enhances access to services in Nairobi, and the extent effective biometric registration enhances protection of urban refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi. The study is exploratory and used a descriptive and quantitative design. Primary data was collected using a closed ended questionnaires were administered to Refugee Affairs Secretariat staff in Nairobi. The total target population comprised 50 refugee affairs secretariat staff with a sample size of 10 drawn using a simple random sampling. Data was analyzed using SPSS. The study found that to a great extent that biometric registration of urban refugees and asylum seekers enhances access to both basic education and health services in Nairobi. Further, the study found that to a great extent biometric registration of urban refugee and asylum seekers has facilitated protection from expulsion/ return/ deportation (non refoulement) in Nairobi. Notably, the study found that there is an existing confusion on whether the Refugee Affairs secretariat registers urban refugee and asylum seekers in Nairobi. The study recommends the formulation of an urban refugee and asylum seekers policy in order to guide the management of urban refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi.