The Government of Kenya launched a groundbreaking initiative on Friday to improve the lives of more than 830,000 refugees and asylum-seekers and their generous hosts, by transitioning the country’s refugee camps into integrated settlements where refugees and local communities enjoy greater economic opportunities and access to improved health, education and other services together.
The Shirika Plan – which translates to “cooperation” in Swahili – is the culmination of years of work towards greater refugee inclusion, led by the Government of Kenya together with local authorities, with strong support from UNHCR and other UN agencies, donors, humanitarian and development partners and the private sector.
The initiative marks a significant development in the country’s move toward implementing policies to improve the lives of refugees and their long-time hosts.
For more than three decades, Kenya has generously hosted refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily from Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country is home to two of the world’s largest refugee camps – Dadaab in Garissa County, which hosts over 420,000 people, and Kakuma in Turkana County, home to more than 300,000.
Under the Shirika Plan, these refugee-hosting areas will be developed into municipalities to increase economic opportunities, education, health, and essential services for both refugees and local communities. This initiative aligns with Kenya’s commitment to the Global Compact on Refugees and builds upon legislative milestones such as the Refugees Act of 2021.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, congratulated the Government of Kenya on the plan at a launch event in Nairobi.
“Kenya is showing the world that a story of cooperation, inclusion and hope is not only possible, but also necessary and of advantage to all,” Grandi said. “Shirika recognizes that solutions, which shift away from refugee dependency on humanitarian aid towards greater self-reliance, are possible. UNHCR is committed to supporting the government of Kenya to now turn this innovative plan, into a reality.”
In his keynote address at the plan’s launch in Nairobi, Kenya’s President, H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, reaffirmed the country’s pledge to work towards long-term solutions for the hundreds of thousands displaced people living in Kenya, often for decades.
“The Shirika Plan now gives us a framework to collaborate more ambitiously and pursue historic achievements that will guarantee hope and dignity for refugees, and give host communities due recognition,” said President Ruto, calling the plan “our bold, homegrown solution, which amplifies the African Union’s call for African solutions to not only Africa’s problems but also global challenges as well.”
UNHCR joins the Government of Kenya to appeal to all States, financial institutions and private organizations and development partners to continue to provide support and financing to this important to ensure the full realization of the Shirika Plan and improve the lives of refugees and their Kenyan hosts.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).