Livelihood Reconstruction: a Case of Ugandan Queer Refugees Living in Nairobi’s Westlands Constituency (2013-2021)

Abstract

This project paper attempts to explore the livelihood reconstruction process utilized by Ugandan queer refugees living in Westlands constituency, Nairobi. The Ugandan queers crossed into Kenya after Ugandan Members of Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in 2013.Following the horrific killings, torture and detention of Homosexual Ugandans, some were forced to jump international border lines into Kenya. This law hastened the severance of their bond with the state. Their presence in Kenya, where the laws did not recognize LGBTQI+ rights, was still in a perilous situation, given the xenophobia and homophobic attitudes the queer Ugandan refugees encountered. Despite these obstacles, the study observes that these refugees were able to overcome them creatively rebuilding their lives by engaging in baking, soap making, computer skills, prostitution and by using digital market places for trading in stock exchange (money markets), buying crypto currency and setting up digital shops. These findings form a vitally important summation to the developing literature on refugees, gender diversity and livelihoods aimed at increasing knowledge in refugees’ studies.