The United Nations says the Kenyan government is blocking Western countries like Canada from resettling LGBTQ+ refugees, leaving hundreds of desperate people languishing in dangerous refugee camps and safe houses in Kenya.
The government’s blocking of exit permits has led some to flee Kenya for even more precarious conditions in South Sudan, in the hopes of reaching the West.
Rainbow Railroad, an international resettlement organization based in Toronto, is following the situation closely and programs head Devon Matthews said Kenya has become a “choke point” for LGBTQ+ refugee claims.