Registration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Kenya

Registration and documentation is critical when people are forced to flee their homes due to war, violence, or persecution. This process ensures their protection by enabling early identification of those with specific needs and facilitating their referral to necessary protection and assistance programs.

In Kenya, all registration and documentation for refugees and asylum-seekers are overseen by the Government of Kenya, specifically through the Department of Refugee Services (DRS) under the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.

These activities have been streamlined into a unified data management system that incorporates biometrics. The DRS personnel conduct these processes with technical support from UNHCR.

Registration helps prevent refoulement (forced return), arbitrary arrest, and detention while keeping families together. It also aids UNHCR in reuniting separated family members, particularly children.

The DRS issues various documents to refugees and asylum-seekers such as;

• Refugee identity cards 
• Asylum Seeker Passes
• Proof of registration documents, and 
• Movement passes. 

All documentation issued can be used to access government services.