Promoting socio-economic integration for refugees in Kakuma Municipality

By Chris Sunday, Program Manager, Refugee Livelihoods – LIFT NK

BOMA works in some of the harshest environments and ecosystems on the planet, and that means we work with some of the most vulnerable yet resilient individuals and communities. With the onset of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns like longer droughts and flash flooding, these already vulnerable groups are made that much more so despite contributing least to the problem. As part of our mission to empower the most marginalized groups across Africa’s drylands, through our Livelihoods and Inclusion for Transformation Northern Kenya (LIFT-NK) program we take a driven approach which helps participants launch “green” businesses, contribute to local conservation efforts, and engage in climate mitigation strategies such as establishing and equipping tree nurseries and apiaries. Refugees, displaced persons, and members of the community around Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement make up 45% of the total LIFT-NK program participants (3,200 refugees and 1,750 members of the host community).

The Kakuma BOMA team recently met with the Kakuma Municipality Management (Municipality Manager (Mr. Peter Emuria); Deputy Manager (Halima Duba); Principal Administrator (Ekidor Jacob) and Assistant Director, Admin (Gabriel Ekuyot)) at their offices to shed light on how the new Municipality functions can create a conducive environment for eco-friendly (green) enterprises. The Municipality, officially created in February 2023, covers approx. 632 square kilometers and will take over functions related to waste and land management, IDEP, water services, early childhood education (ECDE), child protective services, emergency services, and road repair.

Under the LIFT-NK program, BOMA seeks to support the Municipality to conduct public participation forums with refugee/host leaders and the business community in Kakuma and Kalobeyei to create awareness and sensitization on the roles and functions of the municipality. The public engagements are crucial to provide residents and interest groups with a platform to voice their opinions around the proposed social services that will help cover their basic needs, and hopefully create stronger, more sustainable livelihoods.

BOMA is also keen to see the refugee community more involved in law-making processes (as they relate to Municipality functions) in the hopes that it will promote refugee rights and their livelihoods within the municipality. This dual ownership not only will promote further socio-economic integration, but speaks to the principles of self-determination and independence as laid out in the proposed SHIRIKA Plan. The creation of this Municipality in Kakuma is a step that has been strongly supported by the UNHCR, the World Bank (via Kenya Urban Support Programme), and UN-Habitat.

With BOMA supporting the local integration of refugees via it’s adapted REAP model, more long-term solutions are still needed to meet the growing crises in Kenya and its neighboring countries. We will continue to stand in solidarity with refugees and host communities as we work with the national government, county governments, and other non-profit organizations towards a better and brighter future for some of the region’s most vulnerable populations.