UDA MP rejects Ruto’s plan to integrate refugees into host communities
UDA MP rejects Ruto's plan to integrate refugees into host communities
Turkana West Member of Parliament (MP), Daniel Epuyo Nanok, has rejected President William Ruto’s Shirika Plan, which seeks to integrate refugees into host communities, launched on Friday.
The Shikira Plan for Refugees aims to promote the socio-economic inclusion of refugees in the country by transforming camps into integrated settlements for both refugees and asylum seekers.
The United Democratic Movement (UDA) MP argues that the government should have invited the residents for public participation before deciding that they were going to integrate the refugees into the communities.
Nanok argues that as the county stands right now, it cannot feed, take care of, and cater to its residents to enable them to integrate refugees who need dire help.
”We as a hosting community are already challenged; we don’t have enough resources for ourselves. We have enough land, yes, but not all our land can be used for the activities. In short, can the government plan for the Kenyans first? Can we be prepared and be given these facilities—water, education, food, health, and infrastructure—so that when we host these refugees, they become beneficiaries of what is already available?” Nanok argued.
According to the MP, it is questionable that the government was planning for refugees, yet it had not taken care of its compatriots first. The MP is now calling on the government to follow the Constitution and invite Kenyans for public participation before fully implementing the plan.
“As a community, can we be given meaningful engagement on the issue of the Shirika Plan, on the question of the integration and the question of hosting the refugees?” the MP demanded.
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Speaking during the launch, the president explained that the government needed to devise a plan to accommodate the refugees despite scarce resources within communities. Ruto promised that more opportunities would be created for refugees and locals alike.
“The Shirika Plan is our bold, homegrown solution, which amplifies the African Union’s call for African solutions to not only Africa’s problems but also global challenges as well,” he stated.
In 2024, while granting Kenya a loan of Ksh155 billion, the World Bank, under the Kenya Fiscal Sustainability and Resilient Growth Development Policy Operation (DPO), set some conditions for Kenya, including integrating 400,000 refugees into the economy by 2027.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Commissioner Filippo Grandi, has hailed President Ruto for the initiative.
“Kenya is showing the world that a story of cooperation, inclusion, and hope is not only possible but also necessary and of advantage to all. Shirika recognises that solutions that shift away from refugee dependency on humanitarian aid towards greater self-reliance, are possible,” Grandi said.
The UNHCR has committed to supporting Kenya in the initiative.
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