Kenyans Support Cross-Border Mobility for East Africans, but Want Fewer Immigrants

25 February 2025
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Anne Okello

One in three citizens say they have considered emigration.

Key findings

  • Seven in 10 Kenyans (70%) say East Africans should be able to move freely across international borders in order to trade or work in other countries, while 28% think the government should limit people's cross-border movement. o But a majority (63%) of respondents say that in practice, crossing international borders is "difficult" or "very difficult."
  • Only one in five Kenyans (20%) say they have heard of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
  • Almost six in 10 citizens (57%) see immigrants' economic impact on Kenya as generally positive.
  • And majorities say they wouldn't mind living next door to foreign workers or immigrants (71%) or refugees (62%).
  • Even so, three-fourths of Kenyans say the government should reduce the number of foreign job seekers it allows to enter the country (57%) or eliminate such immigration altogether (19%). o A similar majority favour reducing (59%) or eliminating (20%) entry by refugees.
  • One in three respondents (34%) say they have given at least "a little" thought to leaving Kenya, including 19% who have considered it "a lot." o The figure is particularly high among citizens with post-secondary education (54%) and urban residents (50%). o Large pluralities among the youth (43% of 18- to 35-year-olds) and full-time workers (42%) have also considered emigration.
  • The most common reasons cited for emigration are economic, led by the search for work opportunities (58%) and the desire to escape poverty (27%).
  • The most popular destination among potential emigrants is North America (38%).

As a founding member of the East African Community (EAC), Kenya has continuously promoted cross-border mobility within the region (Hirsch, 2024). The EAC Common Market Protocol is grounded in the principle of the free movement of people and goods across member states (East African Community, 2009). In 2023, Kenya's exports to EAC partner states amounted to $2.176 billion, a 5.7% increase from 2022, with Uganda as the leading destination and the Democratic Republic of Congo as the fastest-growing market (East African Community, 2023).

Kenya ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement in 2018, committing to the establishment of a single market and the free movement of persons across Africa (African Union, 2018a, 2018b). In 2022, Kenya flagged off its first consignment of AfCFTA exports, Kenyan-made Exide batteries valued at $77,000, to Ghana, marking the country's participation in the AfCFTA Guide Trade Initiative pilot (Anami, 2022).

In line with its commitment to free movement, Kenya has implemented various legal frameworks to govern and manage migration. The Refugees Act (Government of Kenya, 2021a) recognises and protects the rights and freedoms of refugees in accordance with the United Nations' (UN) Refugee Convention, its Protocol, and the Organization of African Unity's Refugee Convention (United Nations, 1951, 1967; Organization of African Unity, 1969). The Diaspora Policy (Government of Kenya, 2014) endeavours to protect and empower Kenyans abroad to contribute to national development in alignment with the country's Vision 2030 goals.

As of 2024, Kenya hosted more than 800,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers, making it Africa's fifth-largest refugee-hosting country (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2024). In 2023, the Kenyan government announced its Shirika Plan to transition the country's long-standing refugee camps into integrated settlements (Government of Kenya, 2023). However, critics argue that the plan lacks specificity on how to integrate refugees and that the new approach "views refugees primarily as economic assets for driving development" (Segadlo, Ogutu, & Ismail, 2024).

Outmigration is an important source of revenue for Kenya: Citizens received $4.95 billion in diaspora remittances in 2024, an 18% increase from 2023 (Central Bank of Kenya, 2025), surpassing agricultural exports, tourism, and other sources of foreign income flows (Hafsah, 2025). Kenya has signed bilateral labour agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates to facilitate orderly migration and to regulate the recruitment of Kenyan workers (Tum, 2019). However, there are concerns regarding the welfare of Kenyan migrant workers in Gulf countries. Between 2019 and 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported at least 90 deaths of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and more than 1,900 distress calls, prompting an inquiry into the mistreatment of Kenyan workers in the Gulf (Government of Kenya, 2021b). Rights groups have accused the Kenyan government of inadequate action to protect migrant workers and to address violations in the Middle East.

Anne Okello Anne is the assistant project manager for East Africa

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