Kenya commits to Shirika Plan on World Refugee Day amid mounting refugee hunger crisis
The day is marked under the theme "Solidarity with refugees" with Kenya hosting an event at the Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute, Eastleigh, Nairobi.
Kenya joins the world in marking "World Refugee Day" on Friday with assurance to the world of its commitment to its Shirika Plan, as the world pushes for more durable solutions to refugee management.
The plan seeks to integrate refugees within their host communities in a way that promotes peaceful coexistence without putting a strain on the existing resources, but also gives room for those willing to return to their home countries the opportunity to do so.
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"Many refugees wish to return home. In 2025 alone, UNHCR Kenya assisted some 670 refugees to return home through voluntary repatriation. On World Refugee Day, we call for peace and more durable solutions," UNHCR says.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the day recognises the millions of people forced to flee war, persecution and disaster.
"Becoming a refugee is never a choice. But how we respond is. Let's choose solidarity. Let's choose courage. Let's choose humanity," he urged on Friday.
The day is marked under the theme "Solidarity with refugees" with Kenya hosting an event at the Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute, Eastleigh, Nairobi.
Under the Shirika Plan, refugees residing in Kenya will be allowed to operate mobile phones, open bank accounts, and operate businesses in their area of residence using their refugee IDs.
This, however, does not grant them citizenship under the law.
The number of refugees residing in Kenya continues to grow courtesy of the conflict in the region, climate change, among other factors.
"Over 850,000 refugees and asylum seekers currently reside in Kenya. Many have lived here for years, and this is the only home they know. Today, we honour families who have faced exile and the Kenyan communities that have welcomed them with generosity and grace," Caroline Van Buren, the UNHCR representative in Kenya, said on Friday.
With dwindling aid, these refugees are often struggling to access basic needs, with some now surviving with less than three meals a day.
A South Sudanese refugee now living in Kenya worries that malnutrition will creep back as her family is now forced to survive with one meal a day.
"On World Refugee Day, we call for renewed support to protect the health and dignity of refugee families," the World Food Programme, Kenya, urged.
Seventy per cent of WFP operations in Kenya have for years been funded by the US, which cut its aid donations recently.
As a result of the cuts, the agency has had to slash the refugees' rations to 30 per cent of the minimum recommended amount a person should eat to stay healthy.
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