From camps to integrated communities: Kenya's inclusive approach to urbanization

Turkana/Garissa, Kenya, 23 October 2023 — Located in the arid expanses of East Africa, Turkana and Garissa counties in Kenya have long been grappling with a web of interconnected challenges – the harsh impact of climate change, unpredictable weather patterns, debilitating droughts, and heightened food insecurity.

For three decades, they have also been on the receiving end of refugee influxes following conflicts in neighbouring Eastern African countries.

The confluence of climate change and refugee flows has strained available socio-economic resources, resulting in their unequal distribution and leaving both displaced and host communities struggling.

Historically, these challenges have been addressed using a mix of temporary solutions, often excluding the host community from involvement in aid programmes, failing to adequately meet the needs of both displaced and host populations in the counties.

Kenya’s answer

Kenya ranks among Africa's top refugee-hosting countries, currently hosting about 700,000 refugees.

Most of Kenya’s refugees are concentrated in the crowded Dadaab Refugee Complex in Garissa County and the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana County, built to answer immediate needs in times of emergency but now outliving their capacities.

The prolonged presence of refugees in North and North Eastern Kenya showcases the complexity of protracted displacement contexts, emphasizing the need for long-lasting, fair solutions that leave no one behind. Increasingly, the international community is moving away from short-term crisis responses to integrated practices that address the enduring needs of displaced populations and hosting communities alike – and Kenya has been pioneering this shift.

In 2023, the Government of Kenya introduced a multi-year plan promoting the socio-economic inclusion of refugees whereby integrated settlements succeed traditional refugee camps.

The same year, the counties of Turkana and Garissa established the municipalities of Kakuma and Dadaab, both of which include the towns, settlements, and refugee camps and their populations within their boundaries.

“The way forward for our country and for the counties, in particular, is the municipalities,” says Nathif Jama, Governor of Garissa County. “That is where the action is supposed to take place. That is where a lot of funding is supposed to go.”

This shift in paradigm signifies a renewed commitment to integrating refugees; it also helps bolster financial support and provide infrastructure and services to address both short-term humanitarian needs and long-term development goals, in alignment with the principles of the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Following Turkana County’s steps, Garissa County has intensified its efforts and recently launched a socio-economic development programme to drive sustainable and inclusive economic development in the county.

Udgoon Siyad, Garissa County Woman Representative says: “Through the Garissa Integrated Socio-Economic Development Programme (GISEDP), we look forward to economically integrating refugees and the host community by ensuring opportunities to work, live and do business without restrictions.”

Since 2016, making use of urban and spatial planning to bridge the gap between humanitarian and development activities, UN-Habitat is striving towards long-term approaches that prioritize planning and urban development over traditional temporary camps. UN-Habitat has been actively supporting the development of integrated urban settlements in the two counties through the provision of urban infrastructure and planning activities for improved service provision and self-reliance.

These efforts have gone towards strategizing an economic enterprise zone through business forums, cross-border collaboration, and economic networks, enabling access to a wider choice of goods, finance, employment, and investment opportunities, ultimately leading to increased income and economic activities that can be harnessed by both refugees and host communities.

UN-Habitat has long been focusing on the promotion of social integration, inclusive communities, and improved quality of life for refugees and their host communities, particularly in its current programmatic work on effective urban crisis prevention and response. Together with the Kenyan government, the counties of Garissa and Turkana, and United Nations agencies, UN-Habitat continues to establish sustainable solutions amid prolonged displacement through an integrated settlements approach.

UN-Habitat conducts this work in collaboration with the Government of Japan, the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF) Africa, Cities Alliance, and the Swiss Development Agency.

UN-Habitat works closely with UNHCR, the Government of Kenya, the Turkana County Government and the Garissa County Government as the technical focal point for the working group on spatial planning and infrastructure.

UN-Habitat is currently implementing the “Emergency Response to Drought and Natural Disasters and Improvement of Socio-economic Conditions in Kalobeyei” project, together with the Kenya Red Cross (KRC) and support from the Government of Japan.

UN-Habitat has recently launched the Kakuma Regeneration Strategy, providing recommendations on localized actions for achieving durable solutions in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana County. The publication is the result of a collaborative effort involving the Turkana County Government, the Department of Refugees Services (DRS), and United Nations partners. The Dadaab Regeneration Strategy will follow this month.