My name is Chege, and I am a gay man, originally from Kenya. In Kenya, being gay is illegal and living there I had to hide who I really was. My uncle was making threats against me, and I knew it was time for me to leave. Being gay in Kenya is a no-no, I would never be able to live as my authentic self, or be safe there. Claiming asylum in the UK felt like my only option. I arrived in the UK in 2015, and it’s been a very long journey since.
In my first five or so years in the UK I mostly stayed with friends, couch surfing from one friend’s place to the next. But I was getting desperate, and my friends were getting tired of me staying with them. By 2020, my asylum case wasn’t progressing, I was homeless and getting desperate. I reached out to Micro Rainbow.
Moving to Leeds
I was offered a place in Micro Rainbow’s safe house in Leeds, and without any other options – and knowing anything about Leeds – I accepted. When I arrived, the Micro Rainbow team was so welcoming, helping me get settled in the house. When I was shown to my new room, I immediately felt accepted and that this was a community that I can grow in.
Immigration detention
That doesn’t mean it’s been easy. For nearly all of the time I was waiting for refugee status, I was No Recourse to Public Funds, so I was supported by Micro Rainbow with weekly payments. During the years I waited for my status, I was sent to immigration detention by the Home Office on two different occasions. It was terrible for my mental health. Detention is like prison except you haven’t committed a crime. One of the times I was in detention they told me they had booked a flight back to Kenya.
When they told me this I felt like my life was crumbling. I felt suicidal and I had to seek medical help because I was so anxious and depressed. Your life being in limbo like this messes up your mind. But the team from Micro Rainbow kept checking in with me while I was in detention, and both times they helped get me out and back to the house in Leeds. They never gave up on me, even when I felt like giving up.
Getting used to Leeds and Yorkshire
The first couple of years I was in Leeds, I did struggle to make friends. Making friends as an adult is daunting anyway, and in my situation, it was a bit harder because you don’t really know who to trust. And in those first years, I made friends but then it didn’t work out, so I sort of gave up a bit.
At some points, I felt very isolated and lonely, especially when some of my friendships didn’t work out. But volunteering helped: I volunteered with an organisation that helps prepare and serve meals to elderly people. I went to local foodbanks and met people there too. Being able to be around people and have small conversations helped me to feel more connected and improved my mental health.
Growing to love Leeds
Now I am in a good place of really liking Yorkshire. I like the people around me – I find them interesting and they are so polite and friendly. Just walking down the street, people will say: “hello love!”, ask how you are. Locals are so talkative and interested in other people.
There is so much to do here too: there are sports clubs you can join, and it’s diverse. I even found an inclusive church I can go to that’s so accommodating and friendly. I’m a bit of a homebody too so I enjoy the cold weather in the winter. Leeds has really grown in me and I have grown to love this place. Every time I am away, quite quickly I feel like I want to return to Leeds. It has truly become my home.
Refugee status and moving on
I finally got my refugee status in 2025, after ten years of waiting. I could not believe it – I had to pinch myself. My lawyer emailed me and said: “the fight is finally over”. For ten years I had been in survival mode, I hadn’t been able to think about the future or make any plans because I didn’t know if I would have a future. The first thing I did was tell Micro Rainbow
Now, everything is different. I have a job I really like, I am making plans, visiting my friends, I have been to two weddings this year already. My friends helped me so much when I was waiting for my status, paying for trains for me to go and see them, but now I can go and see them when I like. These friends have become like my family in the UK.
Housing
Getting the news about my refugee status was amazing, but I was also worried that it would mean I would have to move out of the house I had been in for five years. But Micro Rainbow let me stay, we drew up a lease agreement, and I was able to transition to paying rent, which I have been doing for more than a year now.
I honestly wish I could stay forever – it is home for me. But the travel time to and from work is too long, so I am moving closer. I am moving in with a friend though, someone I met going out and about in Leeds.
Since getting my status, my life has changed so much. I am so happy nowadays. The other day I was chatting with a friend and they said that I am glowing now. The Chege back then was carrying so much. Now I am the bird that has to fly out of the nest. I’ve grown so much and the support I have had means I have a future I am excited to explore.
