This policy brief addresses the issue of access to decent work for urban refugees in Nairobi and Kampala and provides recommendations to overcome the challenges they face. Urban refugees, unlike those in camps, are expected to achieve economic self-reliance, but face challenges limiting access to employment opportunities, aggravated by barriers associated with their refugee status. 

The policy brief highlights current policy regulations and initiatives while identifying key barriers and proposing solutions. Existing policies at the global, regional, and national levels guarantee refugees’ right to work and promote self-reliance. However, implementation has been slow and fragmented, resulting in a lack of awareness among both the private sector and refugees themselves. Lengthy bureaucratic processes for obtaining work permits and refugee identification documents create delays and push refugees into the informal sector or illegal work, exposing them to exploitation and abuse.

The IKEA Foundation and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) are enabling urban refugees in East Africa to build sustainable livelihoods in the cities that host them, while inspiring evidence-based changes to systems for supporting refugees around the world.