Spotlight on Kakuma

Final word on Kakuma?

by Jeff Crisp
26 Nov. 2008

Regular readers of the Forced Migration Current Awareness blog will have realized by now that of all the refugee camps in the world, Kakuma in north-west Kenya receives by far the most attention from researchers, journalists, diplomats and other visitors. How can we explain this phenomenon?

There would appear to be a number of answers.

First, while Kakuma (like many refugee camps) is to be found in a remote, isolated and somewhat dangerous location, Kenya itself is well connected to Europe and the USA and is the centre of East Africa's transportation network. In addition, Kakuma is a reasonably short flight (or a much longer but still manageable drive) from the capital city of Nairobi. It is thus more accessible than many other refugee camps in Africa.

Second, Kakuma is a relatively stable camp. Refugees have come and gone for many years, but the camp itself has remained, as have the many humanitarian organizations that work with the refugees (most of whom are Sudanese) accommodated there. Moreover, while the residents of Kakuma are undoubtedly confronted with many intense daily hardships, the camp is not without hope: the education and training programmes available in Kakuma, for example, are renowned throughout the region, while Kakuma's lively market attests to the fact that at least some of the refugees living there have access to cash and are able to purchase consumer goods. In this respect, Kakuma presents relatively few moral dilemmas for the foreign visitor, especially when compared to an IDP camp in Darfur or DRC.

Third, Kenya is an English-speaking country and a good proportion of the Sudanese (and other) refugees living there, as well as the local population, are able to converse in that language. This makes research and 'fact finding' considerably easier for expatriates. At the same time, Kakuma has an exotic tinge, derived from the very distinctive cultures of both the Sudanese sub-groups represented in the camp (Nuer, Dinka, etc.) as well the local Turkana population. Global interest in Kakuma has also been sparked and sustained by the arrival and subsequent resettlement of the 'lost boys' of Sudan, young refugees who came to the camp after a long and arduous journey from their homeland, many of them transiting through Ethiopia.

Finally, while refugee researchers sometimes complain about the fact that they are denied access to refugee camps by the authorities and/or UNHCR, that does not seem to be the case in relation to Kakuma. Dozens, hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of visitors have passed through the camp since it was established, and many of them have left a written record of their visit. No doubt they will continue to do so.