UN Refugee Chief Calls for Global Backing of Kenya’s Refugee Solutions on First Official Visit

“Despite scarce resources, Kenya continues to show remarkable solidarity through smart policies that foster self-reliance and economic growth,” Salih said.

On his first official visit as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih has issued a strong call for renewed global support to help refugees move beyond survival and rebuild their lives with dignity.

Speaking in Nairobi after visiting Kakuma municipality in northern Kenya, Salih praised the country’s long-standing leadership in refugee protection and its forward-looking policies that enable refugees to work, access education and health care, and participate in the economy.

“Despite scarce resources, Kenya continues to show remarkable solidarity through smart policies that foster self-reliance and economic growth,” Salih said. “Kakuma is a place of transformation and innovation. It sends a powerful message to the world: refugees should not be trapped in aid dependency — solutions must be prioritized.”

From humanitarian aid to self-reliance

At the centre of Kenya’s approach is the Shirika Plan, a government-led framework designed to transition from emergency humanitarian assistance toward refugee self-reliance and peaceful co-existence with host communities.

Under the plan, refugees can access:

• Legal identity documentation

• Work permits

• Mobile money and banking services

• Public education

• Universal health care

The model has been widely recognised as a blueprint for integrating refugees into national systems while supporting local development.

Kakuma: innovation under strain

Kenya currently hosts more than 800,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, including around 300,000 people in Kakuma, primarily from South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

However, Salih warned that chronic underfunding threatens to undermine these gains. In 2025, less than a quarter of UNHCR’s needs-based budget for Kenya was funded, forcing deep cuts across essential services.

Refugees and host communities are now facing:

• Reduced access to health care, water, and education

• Overcrowded reception centres

• Severe cuts to protection services, including support for children and survivors of gender-based violence

“The funding crisis is threatening lives and risks reversing hard-won progress,” Salih said.

A call to donors, development banks, and the private sector

The High Commissioner urged development actors, international financial institutions, donors, and the private sector to scale up investment in the Shirika Plan, stressing that inclusive refugee policies can deliver long-term economic and social returns.

“These policies hold enormous promise for transforming the futures of both refugees and host communities,” he said. “What is needed now is sustained financial and development support to match Kenya’s leadership.”

High-level engagement in Nairobi

During his visit, Salih met with President William Ruto and senior government officials, commending Kenya’s historic role in hosting refugees and thanking the government for its continued commitment to progressive refugee policies.

As displacement reaches record levels globally, Salih underscored that Kenya’s experience offers a clear lesson for the international community: solutions exist — but they require political will, investment, and shared responsibility.