Nairobi — An Inter-governmental Steering Committee has been formed to develop Kenya's Marshall Plan for refugees as part of the government's commitment to facilitate refugees' self-reliance and ease the pressure on the host communities.
The committee will be coordinated by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.
The plan will also guide the process of transitioning to integrated settlements in which both refugees and members of host communities would benefit from humanitarian programmes aimed at enhancing economic empowerment and peaceful co-existence.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo on Tuesday expressed Kenya's desire to find solutions to the refugee crisis in the country but underscored the need to align the Plan with Kenya's security priorities.
He singled out heightening border surveillance, asylum/refugee screenings, and enforcement of law and order in refugee settlement areas as some of the priority areas for the government.
"The planned integrated approach to dealing with refugee situation will allow us to be able to prevent things around acts of terrorism because we are able to empower even the host communities in terms of knowing who are potential troublemakers," PS Omollo said Tuesday when he joined representatives from the Department of Refugee Services under the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services for a Stakeholders' breakfast forum.
The Interior PS emphasized that collaboration with all stakeholders, including local leadership of the refugee host communities, is critical to the success of the plan.
In February this year, the government expressed its commitment to resettling and reintegrating the refugees signaling a departure from a 'hostile' policy under Uhuru Kenyatta's administration.
On February 15, Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said President William Ruto's administration will not seek to close any camp as had been proposed by Kenyatta.
"The current government wants to handle the refugee issue differently. The previous regime was a bit hostile. We are keen on resettlement of refugees," he said.
Bitok who was addressing members of the Kenta Editors Guild in Nairobi said Ruto's administration will shift its focus to resettlement reintegration.
This, he said, is in line with the Refugee Act 2021 which focuses more on reintegration.
Bitok was responding to the question of earlier instances when the Kenyan government had threatened to close some camps on the pretext of national security.
However, Bitok said that as much as the influx of refugees comes with its share of challenges, President Ruto's administration is going to do things differently to ensure they uphold the rights of refugees.
"We are going to handle refugees in the most humane way possible," he said.
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Currently, Kenya hosts around 600,000 refugees, with 300,000 in both the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps.
While acknowledging that the influx of refugees in the country is a complex issue, he added that it comes with opportunities and challenges.
"As much as we look at the negative aspect. It is also important to look at the good side. Some of them are really talented. We should look for a way to convert the crises into opportunities," he said.
PS Bitok pointed out that the recent re-opening of two refugee camps in Garissa is a clear demonstration of the government's commitment to observe the rights and freedoms of refugees.
