Following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, thousands of civil society activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and other at-risk individuals have been forced to flee the country. While many sought refuge in neighboring states, others traveled farther in search of protection. Kenya has become one of the destinations for Afghan asylum seekers, many of whom are now living in refugee camps under harsh and uncertain conditions.
Hakim Mohammadi, a former Afghan civil society activist and a representative of Afghan refugees in Kenya, has been living in Kakuma Refugee Camp since 2024. Mohammadi, a member of the Hazara community, remains in the camp while awaiting the processing of his resettlement case. He said he has received no clear information about when a decision might be made.
Mohammadi told Kabul Now that he was detained and tortured by the Taliban because of his human rights work in Afghanistan. As threats against his life escalated, he was forced to leave the country. He traveled legally to Kenya using a valid passport and visa and said he did not encounter human traffickers or serious dangers during the journey. According to him, the most difficult part of his experience began after his arrival in Kenya.
Life in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Mohammadi said, falls far below basic standards of human dignity. He lives in a tent in a dry and remote section of the camp, where there is no access to electricity. Food assistance, he said, is insufficient and sometimes unavailable, forcing refugees to purchase food themselves despite having little or no income. The only regular financial support he receives amounts to 1,400 Kenyan shillings per month, which he said does not cover even the most basic daily needs.
Security concerns are widespread in Kakuma Camp, according to several Afghan refugees interviewed by Kabul Now. Refugees described repeated incidents of armed robbery both inside the camp and in surrounding areas.
Although Kenyan police are not reported to treat refugees abusively, insecurity within and around Kakuma Camp remains severe. Mohammadi said Afghan refugees are frequently targeted by armed thieves. About six months ago, he said, he was speaking on his mobile phone in a public area when armed individuals approached him and forcibly stole the device.
Mohammadi said he has personally witnessed and experienced insecurity in the camp, adding that theft and armed attacks are common. He said refugees feel especially vulnerable at night, when protection is minimal and fear is widespread.
Another Afghan refugee, Juma Kamil, shared a separate account of violence in the camp. He told Kabul Now that on the night of March 25, 2025, he was attacked inside the tent provided to him by UNHCR. According to his account, the assailant was armed with a machete and threatened him while demanding his mobile phone. Kamil said he reported the incident to Kakuma Police Station the same night and obtained an official police report documenting the attack. He called on authorities and humanitarian agencies to take security in the camp more seriously.
In another incident, an Afghan woman living in Kakuma Camp described a nighttime attack that occurred at around 3:00 a.m. She said armed individuals tore through her tent using sharp objects and stole food supplies and cash before fleeing. The woman, who lives in the camp with her young children, shared a video with Kabul Now showing visible damage to the tent that appeared consistent with her account. For security reasons, her identity has not been disclosed.
Additional images reviewed by Kabul Now show another Afghan refugee who sustained injuries during an attack by armed thieves. While details surrounding the incident remain limited, the images indicate that the individual suffered a knife wound. No further identifying information is being published due to safety concerns.
Taken together, these accounts point to a broader pattern of insecurity in Kakuma Camp, where Afghan refugees say armed robberies and nighttime attacks have become a persistent and serious threat.
Economic conditions in the camp are similarly bleak. There are almost no job opportunities available, and refugees lack both the legal right and the practical ability to work. Mohammadi said this has resulted in extreme poverty, complete dependency on aid, and a growing sense of despair among Afghan refugees, particularly young people. He said resettlement and asylum case-processing procedures for Afghans have effectively stalled, with no clear timelines and little communication from responsible agencies.
Education is formally available but remains deeply inadequate in practice. Afghan children attend local schools in and around the camp, but language barriers are severe, and some children reportedly face discrimination because of differences in skin color. Mohammadi described the overall quality of education as poor and said it offers little prospect for the future.
Access to healthcare is also limited. Clinics inside the camp lack qualified medical staff and essential medicines, while private healthcare services are unaffordable for most refugees. Mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and trauma, are widespread among Afghan refugees in Kakuma Camp. Despite this, there are no dedicated mental health services available. “Almost everyone is struggling psychologically,” Mohammadi said.
Women refugees, he added, are particularly vulnerable. There are no organizations specifically focused on supporting Afghan refugee women in Kakuma Camp, and many women experience severe psychological distress without access to structured assistance. Although no officially recorded cases of gender-based violence have been reported, Mohammadi said Afghan women are largely left to cope on their own.
While Mohammadi described the Kenyan government’s general treatment of refugees as acceptable, he criticized international organizations, particularly UNHCR. He said these institutions are largely unresponsive, appointments are difficult or impossible to obtain, and asylum and resettlement processes have effectively come to a standstill. “There is no direct communication, no transparency, and no accountability,” he said.
According to Mohammadi, the greatest pain for Afghan refugees in Kakuma Camp is the feeling of abandonment by the international community.
“People who defended human rights and democracy in Afghanistan for years are now living in the worst possible conditions,” he said. “Is this not a clear injustice?” He called on the international community and human rights organizations to re-engage directly with Afghan refugees, resume stalled resettlement processes, and take urgent action to address security and humanitarian needs in Kakuma Camp. If the current situation continues unchanged, he warned, the future for many Afghan refugees will be one of slow destruction rather than protection.