| dc.description.abstract | Policies should aim to realise a people or a
group’s aspirations. However, in politically
complex institutional environments, the
design and adoption of policies may lose
sight of common goals. Since the 1990s,
Kenya has enforced a strict policy of refugee
encampment. Then in 2017, in an apparent
turn towards integration, Kenya became a
pilot roll-out country of the Comprehensive
Refugee Response Framework (CRRF)1
and pledged to pursue self-reliance and
socio-economic integration for refugees.
The 2021 Refugees Act embraced both
integration and encampment in a confusing
combination of seemingly contradictory
policy orientations.2
Further complicating
the situation, the central government has
made repeated calls to close the Dadaab and
Kakuma refugee camps, which host over 80%
of refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya.
In light of these contradictions,
how should we understand the Kenyan
government’s commitments? How do
these policies affect refugee-host relations?
This article draws upon interviews and
discussions with refugees and host
community members in Kakuma, as
well as aid providers, to describe the
divergent policy space that has emerged. | en_US |
