International Migration: the Impact of Somali Migrants on Kenya’s Economy, 1991 -2010

Abstract

Migrants are all over the world for various reasons such as to increase chances of securing employment, availability of capital for entrepreneurial activity and a secure environment to conduct business. The purpose of the study was to find out the impact and the contribution of Somali migrants to Kenya’s economy. Theoretically, the study is guided by world systems theory while methodologically the analysis was executed by use of questionnaire and focus group discussion. The major findings of the study indicated that Somali migrants contribute significantly to Kenya’s economy through creation of jobs, employment opportunities, capital investments, income generation, and provision of cheap items, more choice to consumers, supply of stock procurement and revenue to governments. The research recommended that the government should first and foremost recognise the positive contributions of migrants so as to appreciate and find out ways of promoting their activities. This calls for organized studies to facilitate decision making from a well informed point of view.