Kakuma, Kenya : a Burundian refugee missing

SOS Médias Burundi

Kakuma, March 27, 2026 — The family of Fabien Ndayegamiye is issuing a desperate plea : this Burundian refugee, originally from Makamba in Burunga province, southern Burundi, has been missing for almost two weeks.

Officially residing in the village of Kakuma 3, Zone II, Fabien, in his forties, had recently opened a tailoring workshop in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. His relatives are worried, noting that he usually spoke with his wife “at least once a day.”

Faced with his absence, the family first contacted the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he was one of the influential leaders. “We haven’t received a satisfactory response from his colleagues and friends at the church; they too have searched for him, in vain!,” his relatives say.

The Kenyan police and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have been alerted and have promised to help find Fabien alive.

A refugee rights advocate

According to his family, Fabien was not involved in any questionable or political activities. However, he was “a man of extreme freedom of expression, who didn’t mince words, especially when it came to defending refugees’ rights.”

“During demonstrations at the camp against food shortages, to demand drinking water, or to denounce injustices, he was always on the front lines. We fear the worst,” his neighbors and fellow Kenyans emphasize.

Concerns about crime

The family suspects foul play. “We’re used to seeing people disappear and then be found dead! We fear a similar situation for Fabien,” they explain. It is asking Kenyan authorities to focus their investigations “on his associates in Nairobi.”

The Kakuma complex and its extension in Kalobeyei currently house more than 250,000 refugees, including approximately 25,000 Burundians, who have been exposed to a recent surge in crime.