Assessment of the Prospects for the Integration of Somali Urban Refugees in Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya.

Abstract

The overstretched Dadaab and Kakuma camps are a living example to the failure to adhere to the international expectations. It is unlawful to restrain the refugees into a camp, deny them inalienable right to freedom of movement which is happening in the camps. This study was to assess the prospects of intergrating the Somali urban refugees in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The objectives of the study was to examine how integrating Somali refugees into Eastleigh would impact on Nairobi Urban Society, to examine the effectiveness of the international, regional and national legal instruments in relation to integration of urban refugees in Kenya and to analyze the Socio-economical dynamics to support the process of integration of Somali urban refugees in Nairobi. This study adopted the assimilation theory given that the predominant inhabitants of Eastleigh are of the Somali origin and the Somali urban refugees share more or less same racial and ethnic backgrounds and common cultures and beliefs. The study was also guided by Cultural Pluralism theory as the Somali refugees’ practice totally different cultures compared with the larger residents of Nairobi. This study employed mixed methods design which is an approach to inquiry that combines or associates both qualitative and quantitative designs. The findings of the study revealed that the Somali urban refugee population in Eastleigh estate has immeasurably shaped the development of this estate not only to become the commercial hub of Eastlands but also has become one of the main commercial market not only for Nairobi but countrywide. The study also observed that Kenya has enormous legal framework relating to issues of refugees that are adequate to protect the interests of Somali urban refugees in Kenya and majority of the Somali urban Refugees have means of supporting themselves either by engaging in income earning activities or relying on foreign remittances from relatives abroad. The study recommended that the Somali urban refugees should be allowed to fully participate in the legal activities that promote economic growth in Nairobi, it also recommended that, the refugee policies in Kenya should be aligned to the international laws, regulations, practices and procedures that facilitate refugees to settle easily and integrate within their perspective and that the process of integration of the Somali urban refugees to be one of the durable solutions to the refugee problem in Eastleigh.