Dubbed the Shirika Plan, it aims to turn the camps – some of the largest in the world – into self-reliant communities where refugees can live, work, and set up businesses among their local hosts. But is it living up to the hype?
Victor Nyamori is a researcher and adviser on the Refugee and Migrants Rights Team at Amnesty International, working on legal protection for Kenya’s refugees, including those living in the Kakuma and Dadaab camps.
“We are hoping that with all the challenges that are there, we can see how this can be achieved,” he says, joining The New Humanitarian’s Senior Africa Editor Obi Anyadike on the latest What’s Unsaid episode. “But is it the case? It’s worth discussing.”
Reservations have been voiced at the lack of consultation with camp residents and local communities. As Nyamori puts it: “The local community are only engaged at the last stages, just to be told ‘This is the plan. This is how we’re going to implement it. And you are required to be with it.’”
Since the launch last June, donors have allocated nearly $200 million. But questions are also increasingly being asked about delays in delivery, and the lack of detail on refugee rights.
“The idea that the camps will open, and refugees will be able to integrate fully into the national economy, with all these flowery ideas? We are waiting to see,” Nyamori says.
