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Kenya is making progress in refugee management through the Refugees Act 2021 and the Shirika Plan.[AFP]
Kenya stands at a historic crossroad in development and humanitarian governance. This year’s World Refugee Day theme, 'Until everyone is safe,' represents the need for a candid assessment of our structural commitments. Over the last five years, the Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK) has increasingly promoted a strategic and progressive legislative shift that protects human rights and dignity while advancing self-reliance. Of significance is the Refugees Act 2021 and its 2024 regulations, which underpinned the development and roll-out of the Shirika Plan, the government's pioneering innovative approach to refugee management, transforming refugee camps into integrated area-based settlements.
The framework envisions doing away with encampment and is inclined toward a model of socio-economic inclusion. Yet, as a legal aid and advocacy organisation working with both refugee and host communities, RCK observes a troubling paradox: Despite Kenya’s progressive refugee policies, the daily lived realities of approximately 841,207 registered refugees and asylum seekers remain constrained by protection gaps.
