Between vulnerability and assertiveness: Negotiating resettlement in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya

Coping with the Refugee Wait: The Role of Consumption, Normalcy, and Dignity in Refugee Lives at Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya

“…As a “humanitarian space,” a refugee camp is ideally an apolitical, neutral, and impartial forum where humanitarian organizations can freely assess and meet humanitarian needs and where the mandate for relief organizations is to sustain displaced peoples until repatriation or relocation, a long wait that can take years and even decades (Lischer ). In reality, these camps are located largely in inhospitable areas, and refugees’ lives are placed on hold as they wait for resolution, leading to idleness and a destructive cycle of dependency (Asres ; Bookman ; James :6; Jansen ; Kibreab ; Vu ). The different actors involved in this humanitarian space determine policies and processes according to their own institutional, group, and individual agendas (Hilhorst and Jansen ; Hassan and Hanafi ; Jansen ; Libal and Harding ).…”

“…In reality, these camps are located largely in inhospitable areas, and refugees’ lives are placed on hold as they wait for resolution, leading to idleness and a destructive cycle of dependency (Asres ; Bookman ; James :6; Jansen ; Kibreab ; Vu ). The different actors involved in this humanitarian space determine policies and processes according to their own institutional, group, and individual agendas (Hilhorst and Jansen ; Hassan and Hanafi ; Jansen ; Libal and Harding ). Hence, the benefits of camp settlement (greater efficiency of relief services and enhanced security for the both refugees and relief personnel) are often seriously and even violently undermined by its drawbacks (overcrowding, diseases, depletion of host capacity, environmental degradation, and the degeneration of social structures; see James :63; Lischer ; Peteet ).…”

“…The primary mandate of relief agencies and workers is to keep refugees alive and safe until they can be repatriated or relocated (Guttieri ; James ). Given that these agencies invariably struggle with economic and logistical constraints and structural limitations (Crisp ; Jansen ; Montclos and Kagwanja ), they have usually viewed commercial consumption by refugees not only as detrimental to relief logistics but as exacerbating the vulnerability of the refugees (Oka ; Pottier ; Werker ). Within the discourse of most aid organizations, the commercial‐sector focus on providing relative comforts and luxuries within refugee camp settings has been considered costly, trivial, unreasonable, and nonessential (Brees ).…”

“…With a population of approximately 85,000 in 2011, Kakuma Refugee Camp near Kakuma Town, Turkana District, Kenya, established in 1991, is one of the largest refugee camps in the world and one of the longest‐lasting humanitarian settlements in Sub‐Saharan Africa (Agier ; Hilhorst and Jansen ; Jansen ; Montclos and Kagwanja ) . Originally built for Sudanese refugees, the camp is now home to Ethiopians, Rwandans, Burundi, Congolese, Eritreans (since 1994), Somalis (since 1997), and Darfurians (since 2008).…”

Asylum seeking and irregular migration

“…Numerous reports suggest, however, that a resettlement candidate's chances of success are greater if some form of payment is made to local employees of refugee agencies or community leaders and other individuals whose testimony can play a decisive role in the process. Following commercially-provided courses on "resettlement interview training" and purchasing other relevant information that enhances the prospect of success can also help (see Jansen (2008)). Although the problem of corruption in the refugee resettlement procedure is an important one, I will abstract from this issue and assume that paying more than K R will not aect π R nor the exogenously-given amount of time, τ , required by the resettlement procedure.…”