A comparative study of refugee legislation in East Africa
Abstract
International refugee law is charged with the duty of ensuring that people who
have been forced to flee their homelands are treated dec~ntly and that the recognised
basic rights and principles are applied to them. , However, majority of the states which
have ratified and even adopted provisions of international refugee law into their domestic
legislations, either implement the provisions of these laws half heartedly or chose to
ignore them altogether whenever it suits them. This leaves refugees vulnerable as their
rights are not guaranteed. Being a people who are outside their countries of origin, not by
choice but because they are forced to do so by circumstances which are beyond their
control, refugees require to be treated humanely. Indeed human rights law plays an
important role in the law of refugees. Thus human rights instruments such as the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter of Human and People's
Rights are central to international refugee law as they advocate respect for human rights
which is fundamental to the solution of refugee problems and are basic requirements of
refugee protection.
Citation
Master of Arts in international StudiesPublisher
University of Nairobi Institute of Deplomacy and International Studies