The Social Impact of the Changing Course of the Nabek River in Kakuma Refugee Camp
This blog examines the social impact of the shifting course of the Nabek River in Kakuma refugee camp where, when the river overflows and changes direction, it sweeps away homes, forcing refugees to migrate internally. By Robert Aharanya Claudio Introduction In this blog, I look at the social consequences of climate events, such as destructive […]
Women’s Perspectives on the Impacts of Water Scarcity in Kakuma Refugee Camp
This blog explores how water scarcity affects women and girls, especially in their daily tasks, safety and health in Kakuma refugee camp, which is located in Kenya’s hot and semi-arid Turkana region. By Youniyas Abdurahman Seliman Introduction As climate change and growing population density worsen water scarcity worldwide, many women are being forced to come […]
The Role of Informal and Formal Microfinance in Women’s Livelihoods In Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya
The research for this blog found that locally led women’s microfinance groups provided financial security and opportunities for refugee women who could not get funds from banks or NGOs. By Tamanji Logodi Introduction Originally a temporary home for South Sudanese fleeing war, Kakuma refugee camp now houses refugees from many countries in eastern, central and […]
BARRIERS TO REFUGEE INTEGRATION IN KAKUMA AND KALOBEYEI,NORTH–WEST KENYA
Why are the majority of refugees in Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps in north–west Kenya resistant to the Kenyan government’s new official policy of integration with the local community? This paper explores this question through personal interviews and focus group discussions with a selection of refugees in the two settlement complexes and through a review […]
LIVELIHOODS AND PROSPERITY: EXPLORING SELF-RELIANCE BEYOND ECONOMICS IN KAKUMA REFUGEE CAMP
This paper explores how agency and livelihoods are articulated and shaped in the overall picture of refugee life as a whole, specifically in Kakuma refugee camp in north-western Kenya. It digs into the details of how refugees exercise self-reliance, resilience and identity, questioning conceptualizations of livelihoods framed purely in economic terms. It explores livelihoods as […]
CLIMATE ADAPTATION: WOMEN AND WATER SCARCITY STRATEGIES IN KAKUMA REFUGEE CAMP, NORTH-WEST KENYA
This paper investigates the coping and adaptation strategies used by women in Kakuma refugee camp in response to water scarcity, a pressing issue worsened by climate change. Qualitative data collection methods, including focus group discussions, interviews and observations, were employed in order to understand the lived experiences of women in the camp. Results showed that […]
FROM UNCERTAINITY TO PRECARITY: MORAL ECONOMY PRACTICES AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN KAKUMA REFUGEE CAMP
This paper explores how precarity shapes life for Somali refugees in Kakuma refugee camp, north–western Kenya. Contrasting contemporary precarity with the uncertainty that previously shaped livelihoods and social structures in Somali pastoralist communities back home, the study asks not only how things have changed but also how past experiences might be shaping novel challenges. Precarity […]
2025 Annual Courses
The Rift Valley Institute (RVI) is pleased to announce that applications are open for our 2025 annual field courses on the Horn of Africa, Sudan and South Sudan, and the Great Lakes. The RVI annual residential field courses, running since 2004, are taught by leading academics, researchers and development practitioners and are designed for policymakers, diplomats, aid workers, researchers, activists, journalists, or investors, to deepen their understanding of the ever-changing landscapes of […]
Reimagining Academic Writing: The Writing Experiences of Gelizako Juwiva Chrinjalinya
This blog reflects on the academic writing experiences of early career researchers in East Africa, building on discussions and writing diaries developed in the context of a British Academy-funded Writing Workshop in Nairobi (Kenya), in February 2024. The workshop encouraged participants to develop writing diaries, observing their writing practices, identifying achievements and challenges, and taking account of […]
Multidimensional Causes and Responses to Climate Change and Displacement in the Horn of Africa
Date: Friday, 20 December 2024Time: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Venue: Heron Portico Hotel, Jakaya Kikwete Road, Nairobi and onlinePartners: Rift Valley Institute & OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives Established in 1992, the Kakuma refugee camp has grown into one of the largest refugee settlements in the world, hosting more than 200,000 refugees from Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, […]