One year ago, Kenya took a bold and necessary step toward transforming its refugee response through the launch of the Shirika Plan. This landmark initiative signaled a shift away from encampment toward inclusion, resilience, and shared prosperity, recognizing that refugees are not passive beneficiaries of aid but active contributors to a country and its communities.
The protracted displacement crisis in Kenya requires an inclusive and sustainable solution. By the end of February 2026, Kenya hosted 836,466 refugees and asylum-seekers, the majority of whom live in Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps, which have existed for over 30 years. These long-standing camps, originally established as temporary solutions, have become places where generations of refugees have been warehoused with limited opportunities for self-reliance and economic mobility. Restrictions on movement, employment, and access to services have historically constrained refugees’ ability to be self-reliant and fully participate in and contribute to the national economy, underscoring the urgent need for a more durable and equitable approach.
Over the past year, we have seen important groundwork laid: strengthened coordination between national and county governments, capacity building of national systems, engagement with host communities, tireless efforts from refugee-led organizations (RLOs) and civil society actors, and growing recognition of the need for sustainable, long-term solutions. These efforts reflect Kenya’s continued leadership on the global stage in advancing progressive refugee policies.
At the same time, the promise of the Shirika Plan remains only partially realized; hundreds of thousands of refugees and host community members still await tangible improvements in access to livelihoods, education, health care, and other basic necessities. Devastating cuts to humanitarian response by the United States and other governments have plunged refugees and host communities into deeper vulnerability, reducing food assistance, straining already limited services, and undermining progress envisioned under the Shirika Plan.
It is of the utmost importance that the Kenyan Government and development partners ensure meaningful refugee participation in the execution of the Shirika Plan Implementation Framework. Through RLOs and localized consultations, refugees provide the expertise, leadership, and insight that are vital to ensuring the Plan’s success.
“The Shirika Plan represents a historic shift from encampment to inclusion, but for hundreds of thousands of refugees, daily realities have yet to change,” said USCRI Kenya Country Director, Firdaus Ali Bashee. “At a time when humanitarian funding is shrinking, it is critical that we do not lose momentum. We must invest in refugee-led organizations and place refugee voices at the heart of every decision. They are the architects, implementers, and ultimate drivers of the Shirika Plan’s success.”
As an organization committed to human dignity and protecting the rights of displaced communities, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) urges all stakeholders—the United States and other governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector—to renew their commitment to the Shirika Plan. This means scaling up investments, accelerating policy reforms, and ensuring that refugee voices are meaningfully centered in decision-making and implementation processes.
The success of the Shirika Plan will not be measured by ambition and capacity alone, but by tangible improvements in people’s daily lives. One year on, this is a moment not only for reflection, but for action. With sustained political will and collective effort, Kenya can deliver on its vision of inclusion and set a powerful example for the world.
USCRI, founded in 1911, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization committed to working on behalf of refugees and immigrants and their transition to a dignified life.
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