Say A Prayer For The Safety of Queer Refugees at Kakuma Camp, Kenya

I reserved time and collected what I feel can best capture the plight, flight, fright, fight and a dignified might of the queer refugees at Kakuma Camp.  This vignette is dedicated to them.

Angelina Becky:

“Oh God,if you love all of us equally why you forgot us LGBTI to suffer unendingless,despite of the fact that LGBTI refugees in Kakuma camp are facing alot of Homophobic,UNHCR still taking more and more LGBTI in Kakuma camp so homophobic place.kill us one by one 😭😭😭 we are looking for protection but keep on taking us to unsafe place kakuma,keep us hopeless,so depressed.” 

Asher Woods:

“One of our lgbti brother .. Has Been beaten so terribly by the cruel Kenyan police sent by UNHCR and ras while at a peaceful demonstration at UNHCR.. His right now in a terrible condition.. And we kindly ask for any help.. To help with the medication and all the necessary treatment bills.” 

 Asher Woods:

“This is how LGBTIQ are treated in Kakuma camp Kenya..beaten so terribly by both the police and the Turkana…..The life of an LGBTI is not the kind of life everyone would choose to life because of the problems we face but we cant run away from it because its what we are we born this way ..we live in a society where we discriminated. We receive constant attacks. we don’t have protection or something to eat. because a few share with us..organisations that would help us in Kenya claim not to knows ..UNHCR. Ras but we never loose hope that one day we shall experience the same human rights, treatment and love @UNHCR GENEVE .UNHCR CANADA..”

Heavenly Favour:

“All LGBTIs are out side the #UNHCR Kakuma compounds. No response so far we are just stranded searching for protection, so we call upon UNHCR and other relevant agencies to come to our rescue…….It's so absurd😫that everyone here in Turkana be it an official, police man, a doctor, I mean every, everyone is homophobic so sad my dear ones I witnessed that myself at the compound, in the hospital and in the community "we are referred as evil” Nathan needs our prayers for sure 🙏🙏🙏. And it is so surprising to hear that to get assistance for someone in such a condition people are still looking for facts after everything that has been seen.so bad what should we do..” 

Abba Kakuma Vierkant:

“UNHCR Kenya has always kept false promises and yesterday they said they are going to register all my fellow lgbti who have spent years with no documents please let's pray they reach their promises and those who are at UNHCR compound I don't know what next but all that remained at the reception this morning have gone for registration.” 

Refugee Flag Kenya: 

“Dear Fathiaa Abdalla,

We are aware of the non intervention policy of UN where protection officers are allowed to look aside as Africans are killing one another. UN simply looked aside when Hutu extremists killed over 1m Tutsis. By then #UNHCR and it's officers celebrated and loved the situation because of the refugee influx it created and the huge allowances that come with post conflict interventions. The huge allowances have blinded protection officers from protecting persons of concern.

Today the RAS commissioner is using very brutal methods to deal with persons of concern protesting bad policies affecting them. Persons of concern were badly bludgeoned as seen in this video and almost killed. Many are in clinics fighting for their lives and UNHCR/RAS officers are happy about it. No comment has come out of UN to condemn such brutality and lack of professionalism. FREEDOM is never given freely by oppressors, that much we know.

The mean looking policemen usually tell us that they get orders from above. In this case we believe that above is Rep Fathiaa Abdulla/ com KODEK MAKORI. If it's true that the UNHCR Rep gave orders to beat and bludgeon peaceful Persons of Concern then madam your office has stooped so low. We condemn these barbaric methods you have re introduced to Kakuma.”