Kenya is advancing a transformative approach to refugee management by integrating refugees and host communities into national systems, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan, Mudavadi highlighted the government’s efforts under the Shirika Plan—a pioneering initiative that shifts refugee support from a purely humanitarian aid model to a development-focused strategy.
“As a country, we have integrated refugees with host communities, empowering them to become self-reliant and resilient,” Dr. Mudavadi said during a session on the Economic Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced Persons in Africa.
He revealed that over 70,000 refugees have been successfully enrolled in Kenya’s Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), ensuring access to essential healthcare services.
Additionally, thousands of learners are now receiving quality education through 100 refugee schools registered under the Kenya National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
Kenya currently hosts more than 850,000 refugees, primarily located in the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps.
