Refugees part with bribes to do business in Nairobi

About 73 percent of refugees have been forced to part with bribes to do business in Nairobi, a survey by an independent global research think tank- the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) showed.

Kenya is home to more than 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with over 100,000 registered in Nairobi alone. The research by IIED showed that in Nairobi, enterprises owned by refugees are subject to hardships including bribery.

“In particular, the culture of harassment, arbitrary arrest and extortion of people operating businesses in the city by inspecting officers and police affects refugees more severely than those owned by Kenyans,” the survey report released in Nairobi on Wednesday said.

The study surveyed 751 business owners in the city – 569 refugees and migrants and 182 Kenyans — about the nature and income of each business, and the frequency with which they faced arrest and demands for informal fees.

Additionally, the study ran two focus groups, one with Kenyan women and one with men of mixed refugee nationalities.

Participants discussed bribe demands and arrests, including when, where, and to whom they are most likely to happen; the extent to which they anticipate bribe demands and arrests; how they deal with them; and its impact on their lives.

“While Kenyan and refugee respondents were equally likely to say that businesses in their geographical areas must pay informal fees to operate, 73 percent of refugee respondents and 62 percent of Kenyan respondents stated that refugees must pay higher or more frequent fees,” the survey stated.

The study said refugee business owners face strenuous and lengthy processes of obtaining trading permits which fanned bribery and harassment.

“However, having the right permits does not lower what business owners spend on bribes” it added.

“Most survey respondents stated they do not have all the permits required to legally run their businesses: 76 percent of refugee-run businesses and 59 percent of Kenyan-run businesses. Business owners without all required permits are slightly more likely to be arrested” the report said.