Episode 3: Kenya's Refugee Policy: Towards Coherence?
In this episode, such questions are addressed by three leading experts in Kenyan Refugee law and policy. Fabian Oriri, Rufus Karanja, and Sumayyah Mokku discuss the history and current direction of law and policy. Could the Marshall Plan and new Refugee Act signal greater coherence and establish Kenya as a leader in refugee management? Or will refugees continue to struggle for rights and recognition?
Speaker Bios
Fabian is a distinguished and free-thinking lawyer specializing in human rights, particularly refugee and migrant and health policy laws. He is deeply committed to utilizing pragmatic and people-centered measures to effect positive social change by bridging legal frameworks.
Rufus Karanja has over 12 years’ experience in forced migration issues across the East and Horn of Africa. He has expertise in forced migration governance with a focus on humanitarian-development programming and policy advocacy on durable solutions for displacement-affected communities in fragile contexts. His passion over the years has been championing innovative durable solutions for displaced populations. Rufus is currently working as a Policy Officer at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands focusing on durable solutions and forced migration in Somalia and Kenya.
Sumayyah Mokku is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She is a Litigation Adviser for Haki na Sheria Initiative (HSI), a Non-governmental Organization based in Garissa whose mission is to empower marginalized communities to understand, demand and effectively claim their human rights in pursuit of an equitable society. Sumayyah is also a fellow for the East Africa Emerging Public Interest Advocates Programme at the Center for Strategic Litigation based in Zanzibar, Tanzania. She is engaged in training on social justice issues in Kenya through advocacy, research and litigation with a view to promoting policy change."
Further Reading
Michael Owiso (2022) “Incoherent policies and contradictory priorities in Kenya”, Forced Migration Review 70
Exploring the Politics of Migration through Ideas is a podcast series that examines the past, present, and possible futures of migration within and from the African continent. It seeks to forge a new discussion around African migration in Europe and the West, but also within Africa itself: one that foregrounds African knowledge, lived experience, and political thought towards a humane and socially just order of mobility. Hosted by African Arguments and the Heinrich Boll Foundation’s African Migration Hub.