Attachments
By Natasha Lulia
The Shirika Plan is a multi-year initiative aimed at transforming refugee camps in Turkana and Garissa into integrated settlements, ultimately establishing two new cities in Kakuma and Dadaab. Kenya has upheld an open-door asylum policy, hosting over 700,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to ongoing regional conflicts. Despite its innovative approach, the plan faces significant questions regarding its feasibility and implementation.
Building on the Kalobeyei Integrated SocioEconomic Development Plan (KISEDP) and the Garissa Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan (GISEDP), the Shirika Plan aligns with key national and regional frameworks, including County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs), Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, and the Global Compact on Refugees. Its core objectives include redesigning camps into integrated municipalities, mobilizing financial, technical, and material support to ease the burden on host communities, and transitioning from humanitarian aid to long-term development through the humanitarian- development-peace nexus. This shift entails government-led service provision for refugees while fostering socio-economic inclusion, self- reliance, and resilience among both refugee and host communities.
The plan is structured around six pillars: systems building, integrated service delivery, human capital and skills development, climate action and natural resource management, sustainable economic growth, and durable solutions with complementary pathways. It will roll out in three phases: the transition phase from 2024 to 2027, stabilization from 2028 to 2031, and resilience from 2032 to 2035.