Work & workplace rights

Kenya’s legal framework grants refugees the right to employment, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion, but practical barriers hinder access. The Refugees Act, 2021 allows refugees to engage in formal employment and business activities, yet work permits (Class M) are required, creating bureaucratic hurdles, long processing times, and employer reluctance due to limited awareness. Refugees can access entrepreneurship opportunities, but business licenses remain difficult to obtain, and government-led business development support, grants, and subsidies are largely unavailable, forcing reliance on NGOs and international organizations for funding and training. While refugees can open bank accounts and apply for loans, financial institutions often hesitate to accept refugee IDs due to Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance concerns, leading to exclusion from formal banking and credit systems. Kenya’s economic development plans, such as the Shirika Plan, promote refugee inclusion in national strategies, yet integration remains slow due to documentation barriers and limited awareness. The gig economy and online work are growing, supported by programs like AJIRA Digital, but regulatory gaps, inconsistent labor protections, and infrastructure limitations create uncertainty and instability for digital workers, including refugees. Kenya’s National Skills Development Policy and initiatives like RESI (Refugee Employment and Skills Initiative) aim to equip refugees with marketable skills, but funding constraints, geographical barriers, and low awareness limit their impact. Although Kenya has made progressive legal reforms, administrative inefficiencies, financial exclusion, and weak policy implementation prevent refugees from fully benefiting from employment, entrepreneurship, and financial opportunities, requiring stronger enforcement, streamlined procedures, and targeted refugee-inclusive economic policies.