A comparative study of refugee legislation in East Africa

Abstract

International refugee law is charged with the duty of ensuring that people who have been forced to flee their homelands are treated dec~ntly and that the recognised basic rights and principles are applied to them. , However, majority of the states which have ratified and even adopted provisions of international refugee law into their domestic legislations, either implement the provisions of these laws half heartedly or chose to ignore them altogether whenever it suits them. This leaves refugees vulnerable as their rights are not guaranteed. Being a people who are outside their countries of origin, not by choice but because they are forced to do so by circumstances which are beyond their control, refugees require to be treated humanely. Indeed human rights law plays an important role in the law of refugees. Thus human rights instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter of Human and People's Rights are central to international refugee law as they advocate respect for human rights which is fundamental to the solution of refugee problems and are basic requirements of refugee protection.