The Role of External Actors in Refugee Management in the Horn of Africa: A Case of Somali Refugees in Kenya, 2004 – 2020

Over the recent years, refugee crisis has attracted significant attention among the actors in international relations. Despite states and international organizations working towards attaining lasting solution to the menace of refugee crisis, little attention is given to the role of external actors. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to analyze the role of external actors in the management of Somali Refugees in Kenya. The study sought to address the following specific objectives: To identify the external actors involved in the management of Somali refugees in Kenya: To determine the role of external actors in the provision of social support services to Somali refugees living in Kenya; to evaluate the role of external actors in the provision of durable solutions to Somali refugees in Kenya, to examine the challenges and opportunities of the external actors in managing of the Somali refugees in Kenya. The study adopted exploratory research design and data collection method is mixed approach incorporating both primary and secondary data. Analysis of data was based on content and descriptive analysis whereas the findings were presented as narratives, tables and in form of figures. The study established that UNHCR was the primary external actors in the management of Somali refugees in Kenya. Secondly, it was revealed that registration of Somali refugees, facilitation of acquisition of work permits, voluntary repatriation to home country and support towards integration into local communities were major approaches adopted by external actors in supporting durable solutions to urban Somali refugees. The third section observes that access to hospital, education, recreational, and religious platforms remain limited to the Somali refugees who stayed in the urban areas of Kenya. Access to seed capital to support setting up of small businesses, entrepreneurial training and mentorship, access to work permit were some of the strategies that supported livelihood of Somali refugees in Kenya. Besides, corruption among the external agency officials, bureaucracy and lengthy procedures to acquire necessary documentation were highlighted as major challenges to reinforcing strong partnership with local actors. Lastly, it emerged that opportunities rested in the multi-Stakeholder approach to development projects that targeted refugees. The study concludes that United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization of Migration, the European Union, Danish Refugee Council Kenya Programme, and the Red Cross are the primary external actors in addressing refugee concerns in the country. The actors supported mechanism aimed at strengthening long-term collaboration with the local actors and the Kenyan government. Furthermore, the study concludes that sustainable access to essential social services is a necessity for urban refugees. In addition, the study concludes that external actors faced a myriad challenge ranging weak political good will, sociocultural challenges, high urban refugee influx, as well as misaligned and competing objectives among the program implementers.