Exploited in Plain Sight: The Hidden Cost of Proxy Ownership Among Urban Refugees in Mombasa, Kenya

Exploited in Plain Sight: The Hidden Cost of Proxy Ownership Among Urban Refugees in Mombasa, Kenya

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) Coast Regional Office received a series of distressing complaints from urban refugees regarding the loss of valuable assets, primarily motorcycles and vehicles, registered under Kenyan proxies. These reports, received between 2022 and 2025, prompted a targeted investigation by the Commission to unearth the systemic patterns behind such exploitation.

Refugees cited a common practice where, due to their limited documentation status; insufficient for formal processes, they were compelled to register their property under Kenyan acquaintances. Once the loans for these assets were fully repaid, many of these proxies turned against them, filing false theft claims or outright denying ownership transfer, leaving refugees destitute and legally powerless. Others would lock SIM cards, change M-Pesa (mobile money) PINs, and withdraw available funds. The investigation, conducted across urban hubs in the coastal region, notably Mombasa, Ukunda, and Mtwapa, revealed a consistent and troubling pattern of abuse, legal invisibility, and denial of economic autonomy.

This exploitation through proxy registration is not only a violation of labor and property rights but also a glaring symptom of documentation-related exclusion. Such exclusion forces refugees into informal survival tactics that expose them to further harm and leave them at the mercy of their proxies. Cases like that of Kevine, who lost his motorcycle to a Kenyan proxy after repaying a KES 130,000 loan, and Daniel, who fears losing his car due to similar arrangements, illustrate the depth of this crisis.

The Commission also documented how this lack of identity affects broader life spheres such as employment, mobile money access, and education for refugee children, compelling families to risk registering minors under Kenyan households. These findings highlight not only a human rights gap but an urgent policy failure, calling for legal reform, enhanced documentation systems, and state accountability to protect vulnerable populations from such calculated and recurring proxy-based deprivations.