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, […]
2024 GREAT LAKES COURSE
19-21 June 2024 Theme: Crises new and old? Conflict, climate and governance in the Great Lakes The Great Lakes region faces its most severe political crisis in over twenty years. While the UN peacekeeping mission withdraws from the DRC, protracted and newer violent conflicts in its East have drawn in armies from Burundi, Uganda and […]
2024 GREAT LAKES COURSE – Q&A
This Q&A provides an overview of the topics to be covered during our Annual 2024 Great Lakes Course. This includes the political crisis in the Great Lakes region which focuses on conflict dynamics, governance issues, security sector reform, gender politics, and climate change. It also preempts participant questions pertaining to the course. The Great Lakes […]
Podcast: RCoP | Research Outputs | Hamdi Ali
The blue cconomy and climate resilience in Somaliland Explore the transformative potential of the blue economy in Somaliland with Hamdi Ali in this podcast episode. Hamdi articulates how integrating sustainable practices in fisheries, aquaculture, and maritime transportation is pivotal for mitigating climate impacts and enhancing both economic and environmental resilience. The discussion provides a deep […]