Nairobi, Oct 2 (IANS): Kenya has mandated that all refugees and asylum seekers surrender their passports within 30 days to safeguard their status and rights under international law.

John Burugu, commissioner for refugee affairs in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, said on Tuesday that he was issuing a moratorium on the possession and use of passports from the country of origin in line with international and Kenyan laws.

Burugu cautioned that failure to adhere to this directive could lead to legal repercussions. He clarified that refugees are required to obtain machine-readable conventional travel documents through the Department of Refugee Services for any travel outside Kenya, Xinhua news agency reported.

He urged all refugees and asylum seekers still in possession of their passports to cooperate: "Failure to comply with this directive may result in legal consequences as outlined in the aforementioned international convention and the Refugee Act No. 10 of 2021 and may lead to legal implications including cancellation of refugee status and subsequent expulsion from the country of asylum as provided by Section 17 of the Refugees Act."

He said that the government retains the authority to revoke refugee status if an individual is found to have provided false information or if new evidence suggests they were incorrectly recognised as a refugee.

For over 30 years, Kenya has provided refuge to more than 750,000 individuals from countries such as Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi, with most residing in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps, while over 100,000 live in urban areas, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.