Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja unveiled an enhanced plan to move refugees into integrated suitable settlements equipped with essential infrastructure, improved healthcare services, reouces, and economic opportunities.
Nairobi hosts over 100,000 refugees and asylum seekers primarily from Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, and DRC.
The governor said the integration of refugees fosters an ambitious humane framework dedicated to the inclusion of refugees within the county’s developed landscape, enabling the refugees and asylum seekers to be assimilated into communities.
“The integration of Nairobi County refugees marks a significant framework dedicated to the inclusion of refugees within our urban landscape. I pledged to build a Nairobi where barriers were dismantled and where the old, youth, women, persons with disabilities, street families and refugees have a seat at the table of progress.”
“This fulfils that pledge. It recognises refugees not as a burden but as contributers – entrepreneurs contributing to our economy, field workers – strengthening our industry, families enriching our community,” said Sakaja .
The governor affirmed the county’s commitment to enhance access to basic services such as equitable healthcare, education and social protection.
“We will ensure that refugees have equitable healthcare, education, and social protection. No child will be locked out of a classroom, no family denied medical care. Dignity begins with basic human rights.”
Sakaja also emphasized promoting economic empowerment to the refugees by offering entrepreneurship support and access to procurement opportunities by securing driving financial self-reliance.
He asserted the need to promote unity through cultural festivals, host events, and dialogue forums, creating suitable venues for the refugees and host communities to interact that aims to improve social cohesion community engagement.
Through coordinated collaboration efforts with the development partners and private sectors, the county also committed to improve living conditions in informal settlements, ensuring decent housing and sustainable for all.
The pioneering refugee integration framework is developed under the auspices of the Refugees Act 2021.
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