Who are involved:
Denmark's GRF Asylum Offer:
Kenya's GRF Asylum Commitment:
Subject to adequate international support, the Government of Kenya will continue to strengthen institutions and community structures that manage asylum, deliver services and provide security in refugee-hosting areas including by continuing the Security Partnership Project (SPP).
Summary of Support
The Government of Denmark, through the Special Envoy on Migration in the Inter-Ministerial Migration Task Force, and the Government of Kenya through its Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, have agreed to collaborate to strengthen Kenya’s asylum institutions as part of a project implemented within the framework of the Asylum Capacity Support Group (ACSG) Mechanism.
The Danish support to Kenya includes a financial contribution towards project activities that aim to enhance the management of its asylum process and delivery of services in reception, registration, documentation, and refugee status determination (RSD) procedures in Kenya and to enhance the awareness of the new Refugees Act, 2021 for concerned government officials and refugees. The funding provided by the Government of Denmark will support the Government of Kenya in the implementation of the project in collaboration with UNHCR.
Denmark and Kenya have a history of working together in the area of asylum, including a partnership from 2009-2013. The new partnership will continue this engagement and will help address areas such as enhancing awareness of the new Refugees Act, 2021, reducing backlogs, developing staff capacity, enhancing efficiency, and increasing the quality of decision-making, as well as improving the overall service delivery of RSD and related procedures.
Specifically, the proposed activities as part of the Denmark-Kenya matching will lead to:
1) Enhanced awareness of the Refugees Act, 2021
The partnership will support activities aimed at introducing the provisions of the new Refugees Act, 2021, targeting government officials, including justice and law and order officials, and involving induction of statuary bodies on their roles and responsibilities under the Act. In addition, dedicated information sharing activities tailored towards refugee communities will be implemented with the objective of raising awareness on their rights under the new Act and its impact.
2) Increased training and development for RSD staff
The match will address capacity strengthening needs in Kenya with activities such as development of a learning programme, materials, and curriculum, together with a focused training of trainers component. This activity is aimed at strengthening the knowledge and skills of various actors involved in ensuring access to reception and asylum in Kenya. Engaging in-house staff in the implementation of these activities will ensure continuous learning and knowledge development of staff after the project ends.
3) Improve management of RSD activities
This activity will focus on establishing a protection-sensitive case referral mechanism to ensure that asylum-seekers with specific needs are prioritized for RSD. It also aims to strengthen the management and supervision of RSD services linked to scheduling, filing, and interpreter management through recruitment of managers, together with establishing a dedicated complex casework team through training, experience development and coaching over longer periods.
4) Implementation of a Quality Assurance Initiative
This aspect of the support will address quality assurance in registration, documentation, and RSD procedures through activities such as process analysis and case file audit and will lead to the sharing of recommendations to address identified gaps through a concrete workplan. The recommendations will be implemented during the project, including with the support of an expert consultant and a quality and training coordinator.
The activities have commenced in January 2022.