Examining the legal and security frameworks on refugees’ right of movement: case study of Dadaab, Kenya

Refugees are often faced by different challenges that have made them to flee their homes in search of safety, most of the refugees come from hot bed areas of conflict that have necessitated many to abandon their families. The abandonment of the life, culture and employment that they are used is often met with crippling realities of the host country, their freedom to move is now reduced to encampment that restricts them from social cohesion. The encampment of refugees has been highlighted by many authors as a way for the governments to contain and be able to manage the refugees from one control zone, this is because the security of the country is paramount and the perception that most of the refugees come from conflict areas, they are associated with conflict and that there is possibility of the refugees bringing conflict to the borders. The research tries to contribute to the discussion by examining the security and the legal frameworks in place on how it affects the refugee right of movement. Through the use of secondary data, the research found out that the existing legal frameworks on refugees have been framed around the idea of the security of the nation, refugees are seen as terrorist that justifies the need for restrictive measures. In contrast there is no clear evidence that has been linked to refugees when it comes to the insecurity in the country, without generalizing one could argue that the insecurity in the country is not directly linked to the refugees instead the country has find a balance when it comes to implementation of policies that relates to national security and the protection of refugees, by establishing the root cause of the insecurity in the country.