Kenya embraces refugees as partners
A new plan that integrates more than 800,000 refugees sees them as contributors, not burdens, to society.
Adele Mubalama, a refugee from Congo living in a refugee camp in Kenya, displays an outfit at her boutique.
AP
The people of Kenya are bucking a worldwide trend of antimigrant polemics and actions. With the recent launch of a landmark refugee integration initiative, they are modeling a compassionate and respectful embrace of the many 鈥渟trangers鈥� in their midst.聽
Large-scale refugee in-migration to this East African country had been a feature since the early 1990s. An island of relative stability, it hosts more than 800,000 refugees, mainly in two sprawling encampments. Each month, several hundred more civilians arrive, fleeing Sudan where rival militaries have been waging war since April 2023.
The government鈥檚 new Shirika initiative marks a shift from the conventional 鈥渆ncampment鈥� approach to what is often seen as a burdensome humanitarian obligation. The new strategy implicitly recognizes the determination, ingenuity, and survival skills of refugee populations as potential contributions to local and national development. Shirika therefore seeks to transform camp areas into formal towns with infrastructure that will foster economic growth and eventual self-reliance for refugees and host communities.
鈥淜enya is showing the world that a story of cooperation, inclusion and hope is not only possible, but also necessary and of advantage to all,鈥� said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
Significantly, this new approach has wide support among Kenya鈥檚 citizens. According to a Stanford University survey, more than two-thirds of respondents support increasing refugees鈥� access to work permits, financial resources, and social services. Nearly 60% believe refugees should be allowed freedom of movement.
Ordinary citizens express empathy as well as appreciation for the entrepreneurial spirit of refugees. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e humans and they鈥檙e supposed to be helped. ... It鈥檚 [about] brotherhood,鈥� said one respondent. 鈥淭he interaction they bring to our country will help us upgrade by bringing new ideas and different ways of managing business,鈥� said another.聽
Shirika鈥檚 extended time frame 鈥� which runs through 2035 鈥� may be a tacit acknowledgment that quick fixes are unlikely. With their lives upended, many refugees are still in distress and lack education or workplace skills. Rural Kenyans struggle to eke out a living in drought-prone areas around the camps. And there are demands for more grassroots consultation.聽
But, in the words of President William Ruto, Kenya鈥檚 鈥渂old, homegrown solution鈥� can offer a new foundation on which to build 鈥渉ope and dignity for refugees, and give host communities due recognition.鈥�