Shirika Plan is the government of Kenya’s pioneering innovative approach for the refugee management in Kenya aimed at transforming the refugee camps into integrated settlements supporting the socioeconomic inclusion of refugees and host communities. The development of this plan is within the context of years of collective efforts to transform the refugee response model in Kenya and to implement innovative approaches, building on the existing frameworks and initiatives that serve as building blocks. Further, the Whole of government, the Whole of society, Leaving-no-one-behind and delivering as one are integral parts of the plan.

Pledge statement: Development of the Shirika Plan for refugee response by transforming camps into integrated settlements to ensure socio-economic inclusion of both refugees and host communities’ by 2024. 

The Plan, once finalized will include a costed multi year plan of action and a financing strategy on the following priority sectors: 

1. System building and enabling policy frameworks
2. Access to integrated services
3. Human capital and skills development
4. National resources management and climate change
5. Sustainable economic development
6. Durable solutions and complementary pathways

Registration and documentation form critical components in the recognition, identity, access to services, and respect to dignity and human rights of; stateless persons, refugees and asylum seekers. 

Pledge statement: Enhance access to registration, documentation and services from public and private sectors for refugees by 2027

The government of Kenya is committed to enhancing progressive access to government services through digitization of services that integrates refugee data into the e-citizen digital ecosystem and the National Master Database through:

1. Developing a government-owned refugee database that is interoperable with other government and partner databases by 2024 for purposes of security, legal requirement, resource planning and allocation, coordination of refugee operations and access to services.
2. Transitioning the refugee ID to the digital platform to streamline, reduce the time and cost of accessing services, prevent fraud associated with paper documents and enhance refugee protection by 2027(USD 2M).
3. Establishment of a Huduma center (One-stop service center) in Dadaab to bring government services closer to refugees and host communities (USD 5M).
4. Construction and operationalization of civil registries in Dadaab and Kakuma by 2027(USD 10M).

Pledge statement: Provide equitable, sustainable and accessible quality healthcare to refugees and host communities.

This will be achieved through:

1. Developing a Kenya Health Sector Policy on Refugee Health – through a multi-stakeholder whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach by 2025. 
2. Ensuring the integration of refugee communities into Universal Health Care
3. Addressing gaps in Human Resources for Health through partnership with National and county Governments, development partners and medical training institutions
4. Registration and operationalization of the Dadaab Level 4 Hospital

Pledge statement: Kenya commits to include refugees in its social protection systems and programmes, in particular social assistance, social services, contributory social insurance schemes as well as labour market policies to facilitate socio economic inclusion by 2027. 

To enhance refugee inclusion to social protection, the government of Kenya pledges to:-

• Rollout of refugees registration in the Enhanced Single Registry expanding the ongoing pilot 
• Refugee socio-economic analysis, simulation of eligibility and cost modelling of inclusion 
• Inclusion of eligible refugees in National Safety Net Program (NSNP) social assistance and social insurance schemes as relevant
• Alleviation of practical barriers to inclusion in consultation with partners and with refugees 
• Monitoring of the impact of inclusion on refugees livelihoods and self-reliance  

Pledge Statement: Kenya will continue to strengthen the processes of including refugees and host communities in integrated development planning and enhance their access to healthy living conditions, adequate housing, and basic services (128,000 households)

To enhance the integration into municipalities’ settlements, the government of Kenya pledges to:-

• • Undertake assessment of existing refugee settlement areas to establish geolocation and land tenure, land use, built form and housing conditions, infrastructure and utility services, and socio-economic conditions.
  • Enhance provision of social infrastructure and amenities for refugees and host communities, in designated refugee hosting areas.
  • To strengthen integrated settlement planning, redesign the shelter strategy to include shelter upgrading, new housing development with considerations to climate change adaptation and resilience. 
  • Establish and strengthen urban administration and municipal management institutions to support socio-economic integration of refugees and host communities.

In order to alleviate the risk of statelessness or of being statelessness, the government of Kenya has adopted multiple legal instruments inter alia to: 

Pledge statement: Following the 2019 pledges made by the government of Kenya on eradicating statelessness, some of the activities were implemented.

The government recommits to actualize the following remaining activities under the same pledge to realize the goal of eradicating statelessness by 2027: 

1. Review, update, and validate the draft National Action Plan to Eradicate Statelessness followed by its implementation by 2027.
2. Recognize and register as Kenyan citizens, members of Stateless Communities such as the Rundi, Rwanda and other stateless persons who may not have been identified and who qualify for citizenship under the law by 2027.
3. Complete legal reforms to address and remedy statelessness by amending the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011 by Deleting sections 15(2), 16(2) and 17(2). This will remove the time limit for registration of stateless persons and migrants by 2024.
4. Accede to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness by 2027.
5. Undertake Policy and Practise coherence across all duty bearers and actors within refugee spaces for effective and seamless implementation of GCR plan within government by 2027.

Pledge Statement: Implement the Education and Training Strategy for Refugees and Host Communities in Kenya (2023-2027) aimed at promoting equitable access, enhancing quality education and training, and strengthening the inclusion of refugees in the national education system.

The costed strategy (USD 70M per year) aims to ensure that:

1. Refugee and host community children and youth have equitable access to the full education cycle, with enrolment rates at all levels progressively meeting National Education Sector Strategic Plan targets. Key actions include expansion of education infrastructure; strengthening of school meals, addressing gender inequalities; provision of safe school environment and psychosocial support; and community engagement for education. In addition, access to education will be expanded through provision of multiple pathways to education (i.e. Accelerated Education Programs) for over-age and out of school children; expansion of access to scholarships, TVET, higher education and adult education; and access to recognition of skills and qualifications.
2. Refugee and host community children and youth benefit from quality education services that meet national standards, enabling them to develop relevant skills for school, work and life. Key actions include equitable provision of learning materials; deployment of adequate, qualified teachers; capacity development of refugee teachers; strengthening delivery of the national Competency Based Curriculum, digital learning and co-curricular activities.
3. All refugee learners and schools are included in the national education system, through registration of refugee schools as public institutions; registration of learners in Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS); deployment of head teachers to refugee schools; piloting of hand-over of mixed refugee/host community schools to the Ministry of Education; and systems strengthening for inclusion of refugees.

Under the multi-stakeholder 2023 GRF pledges, Kenya will participate in the following areas:

Climate 

• Action and finance
• Refugee environmental protection

Economic Inclusion

• Economic inclusion and Social Protection
• Agriculture, food systems, and food security

Education

• Securing sustainable futures: Towards a shared responsibility to uphold the right to education and include refugee children in national education systems
• 15% by 2030: Global pledge on refugee higher education and self-reliance

Health

• National health system inclusion
• Fostering mental health and psychosocial wellbeing

Human settlements

• Climate Resilient Sustainable Human Settlements for refugees and their hosting communities

Resettlement and complementary pathways

• Skills-Based Complementary Pathways
• Refugee Travel Documents – The 21st Century Nansen Passport
• Resettlement
• Supporting Refugee Family Reunification

Sports 

• To harness the potential of sports to improve the lives of displaced people by supporting self-reliance, resilience, protection, and inclusion. This will also elevate Kenya’s profile as an inclusive sporting nation while also broadening countries partnership in sports
• To improve mental and physical health and well-being
• To promote social cohesion between refugees and host communities

Peacebuilding and conflict resolution

• To support conditions in refugee countries of origin so that they be able to return in safety and dignity