Impact of the Self-Integration of Somali Refugees in Nairobi on Kenya-Somalia Relations

The main objective of the study was to determine the impact of the self-integration of Somali refugees in Nairobi on Kenya-Somalia relations. Precisely, the study sought to; establish the impact of self-integration of Somali refugees in Nairobi on trade, security and immigration process between Kenya and Somalia. The theories that underpinned this study include interdependence theory and security theory. This study adopts a descriptive research design. The study population was categorized into two groups. The first group comprised of all the 40,982 Somali refugees within Nairobi Kenya. The second group comprised of various stakeholder who are well versed with regional self-integration in Kenya. This included the officials in the UNHCR, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Embassy of Somalia in Nairobi and Police (Anti-terrorism Unit). The study used a method to calculate sample size. The sample size was 67 Somali refugees who were sampled randomly. For the second group category the study used purposive sampling to select two officials from each category. Thus the sample size was 8 respondents. It used primary data collected using structured questionnaires with key informant interview guide. The questionnaires were self-administered while the interview was conducted face to face to the 8 officials. It collected both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis and a report was presented in continuous prose form. The quantitative data was analysed through the use of descriptive statistics, which include bar charts, pie charts and frequency tables. The study concluded that self-integration of Somali refugees in Nairobi impacts Kenya Somalia relations. Specifically, the study concluded that the self-integration of Somali refugees in Nairobi impacts trade between Kenya and Somalia. The study also concluded that self-integration of Somali refugees in Nairobi impacts security between Kenya and Somalia. Further, the study concluded self-integration of Somali refugees in Nairobi impacts immigration between Kenya and Somalia. The study recommended that the immigration department through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to ensure that there exists clear guidelines with regard to the registration of Somali refugees. This would make it easy for Somali refugees to acquire the recommended legal documents which in turn would go a long way in boosting the country‟s economic growth through returns from trade between Somalia and Kenya. The study also recommends that the Kenyan government should make the process of business permit issuance to the refugees easy so as to encourage them to engage in trade the right way.