{"id":322076,"date":"2026-01-14T11:53:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T03:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=322076"},"modified":"2026-01-14T12:38:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T04:38:18","slug":"unhcr-chief-urge-global-backing-for-kenyas-refugee-integration-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=322076","title":{"rendered":"UNHCR chief urge global backing for Kenya’s refugee integration plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Kenya's<\/td><\/tr>
Kenya’s President William Ruto<\/em><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NAIROBI, Jan 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is calling for practical solutions to the global refugee crisis that protect displaced people while supporting host communities.

On his first official visit to Kenya, UNHCR chief Raouf Salih toured Kakuma in northwestern Kenya, one of the refugee camps authorities want to convert into an urban area as part of a policy shift.

He acknowledged Kenya\u2019s decades-long record of hosting refugees and its policies allowing them to work and access healthcare, education and financial services.

\u201cThis is how we move from aid dependency to self-reliance. Kenya is doing its part. It needs greater international support,\u201d he said.

Kenya is among the largest refugee hosts in eastern Africa, with 854,876 people in Kakuma and Dadaab camps and another 200,000 in urban areas. The Horn of Africa hosts about six million refugees, making it one of the world\u2019s largest sources of cross-border displacement.

\u201cDespite scarce resources, Kenya continues to show remarkable solidarity for people in need through smart policies that foster self-reliance and economic growth. Kakuma is a place of transformation and innovation, sending a powerful message to the world: rather than trapping refugees in aid dependency, we must urgently prioritise solutions that allow people to live in dignity and contribute to society,\u201d Salih said after meeting President William Ruto.

President Ruto urged the international community to back Kenya\u2019s plan to transform refugee camps into self-sufficient settlements, saying global support was essential to its success.

He said the Shirika Plan marked a decisive shift from long-term humanitarian aid to sustainable development.

\u201cAs this noble and ambitious plan is implemented, we ask the international community to support it,\u201d he said at Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri County. Ruto said Kenya had long been recognised as a welcoming and secure country, having hosted refugees and immigrants for decades.

\u201cFor the past four decades, Kenya has offered refugees comfort, a home away from home, and a stable environment in which to rebuild their lives,\u201d he said.

The programme, launched last year, aims to change how refugees are hosted by integrating them into local communities, promoting socio-economic inclusion and reducing reliance on humanitarian assistance.

Under the plan, long-established camps such as Dadaab and Kakuma will gradually be transformed into integrated settlements operating as municipalities. Refugees will gain greater freedom of movement, access to national services and opportunities to participate in local economies.

The policy has faced early challenges, including global aid cuts and the cost of building municipal facilities. Last year, refugees in Kakuma rioted and torched warehouses after food rations were reduced.

The Shirika Plan had proposed a gradual end to aid, including food rations, in exchange for the right to work and earn a living. Donor cuts accelerated the reduction in rations.

The government says it will improve refugees\u2019 access to education, healthcare, livelihoods, land use, and legal documentation, while investing in infrastructure and social services that also benefit host communities.

Ruto said the dual-benefit approach aims to ease pressure on local resources, reduce tensions, and promote social cohesion.

Most refugees in Kenya are from Somalia and South Sudan, living in Dadaab and Kakuma camps and in urban centres such as Nairobi.

\u201cThe funding crisis is threatening lives and risks undoing the hard-won progress that has been made. That is why I am urging development organisations, international financial institutions, donors, and the private sector to increase their support for the Shirika Plan,\u201d said Salih.

\u201cThese inclusive policies offer great potential to transform the futures of refugees and host communities alike.\u201d — NNN-AGENCIES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kenya’s President William Ruto NAIROBI, Jan 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is calling for practical solutions to the global refugee crisis that protect displaced people while supporting host communities. On his first official visit to Kenya, UNHCR chief Raouf Salih toured Kakuma in northwestern Kenya, one of the refugee camps […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":322077,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[213,208,215,209,217],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322076"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=322076"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":322078,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322076\/revisions\/322078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/322077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=322076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=322076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=322076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}