On The verge of Homelessness In a country That is Preparing for Elections, Refugees Are Wondering When the Next Cheque Will Come To Enable Them Pay Rent

                    About to be evicted for 4 months back rent, refugees sought support from UNHCR (Photo courtesy of Alia Adams)

The landlord, had always been distant, kind, patient and tolerant. It is the wife who sometimes would prepare a Kenyan dish which she shared with the people who rented one of their small 2 bedroom house. She was the face they saw most of the times and she reminded them of all mothers. 

The landlord lives nearby in a bigger 5 bedroom house so it is not uncommon for someone from the landlord’s home to come and ask them for a helping hand or run errands. 

Matasia, Ngong is an exclusive part of Nairobi Capital City. A part of a larger escarpment so many feet above sea level. The climate and rich soils allow the lush green leaved trees to grow to very large sizes. The neighbourhood is considered urban and the roads are paved. It is the serene setting out of glossy magazines. To have this place, they pooled together money they got as allowances to pay for rent. Here they feel they are treated with dignity. 

So far, they have never regretted the decision. Here, they feel so welcome. In return they arrange to clean the grounds in the front and backyard, they take initiative to cut any shrubs and collect litter which is usually blown by the winds. This peace of mind and a semblance of normalcy was possible only because HIAS provides  the money which they pooled together to pay rent and buy food. 

But, nothing prepared Mathias(26), Sulaiman (30), Zacchaeus (24), Raphael (23), Michael (25) and  Ziporah (25) (not real names) when they  were roused from bed last night, by a really loud knock which they guessed, right, was from the landlord who on opening the entrance gate demanded for the month’s rent which has been late coming and left without saying anything else.

One of the posters the refugees came with to UNHCR Offices in Westlands Nairobi (Photo courtesy of Alia Adams)

Raphael and Michael are transgender persons who left Uganda following death threats from their own family members for being gay. In the case of Ziporah, she had to leave university where she was about to complete a physical science course. She was warned by a friend that she was outed in a tabloid and that on seeing this her roommates at the hostel where she was staying threw her belongings out. That very day, she got on a bus, left Kampala. She arrived in Nairobi (Kenya) about 660 kilometers away the following day hungry but thankful she had saved her life. 

Fearing they may be evicted out of their houses, refugees gathered together to get an explanation on delayed cheques (Photo courtesy of Alia Adams)

Sulaiman is living with HIV and this group has been the support team encouraging him to take his medication and meals on time. Sulaiman was diagnosed with HIV in 2015, 2 months after he had arrived in Kenya. In Uganda, he was living with his boyfriend. One scary night, they heard a rowdy gathering of people outside their rented house in Uganda. The crowd was demanding loudly why two men were always together in the same house without women. The crowd alleged they were practicing homosexuality and because of that they threatened to burn the house. Sulaiman was lucky to escape and up to now he does not know the whereabouts of his partner. Zacchaeus and Mathias are partners who are at their final stage of the resettlement process. 

Refugees outside the UNHCR Offices contemplating the next steps in case they are evicted from their houses for not paying rent (Photo courtesy of Alia Adams).

Raphael the team’s leader has always struck me as strong hearted and does not easily break down. But, this time he called me with sobs interspersed between coherence statements about the condition they were facing.

 “ Doctor, doctor, help us please we are about to lose our house and you have always helped us since 2013……sob …..HIAS, has always been generous and provided us money on time………..sob……but this time around……sob……. they haven’t provided us with money and we are about to lose our home ..sob……sob……….sob ……..”

Sulaiman was more composed so he took over the phone, gave me the fuller details and sent in some pictures. 

The plight of Ugandan refugees in Kenya should not be taken lightly especially now that they have stayed in Kenya for quite some time. They have fallen into regular patterns of life and a stable home is one important stage in their lives. Sulaiman adds:

“Doctor Tom….. we are so grateful to HIAS, UNHCR, all other organizations such as the Dutch Refugee Council and the Kenyan Government for the support they render to us. We promised to be law abiding but when one loses a house life is disrupted. Kenya is preparing for Presidential elections. In the interests of security and safety we need to be out of so many peoples’ ways. These are delicate times. As an HIV+ve refugee I do not want to even think of what may be disrupted in my life once we lose this house. Doctor, if possible please talk to your friends who can in turn talk to the HIAS people. Please let them send us money to support us. Thank you so much.”

Refugees outside the UNHCR Country Representative in Kenya Offices in Westland Nairobi (Photo courtesy of Alia Adams)

This appeal goes to whoever is reading this article and seeing the pictures to help these refugees by reaching out to HIAS and ask them to, please, provide the money as they have always been kindly doing. Otherwise, the refugees face eviction from their houses. 

For further details reach me on: +1415-410-8340, ask for Thomas. Thank you so much.