From national ambition to local delivery: Kenya’s Shirika Plan in Turkana

The next phase of Kenya’s refugee response will be shaped not only by policy, but by whether the institutions and economies of refugee-hosting areas are strong enough to support a more inclusive model.

That was one of the central questions to emerge from a joint United Nations mission to Kakuma and Kalobeyei from 2 to 4 September 2026, which brought together Heads of Agencies and senior programme leads from 14 UN entities alongside national and county government representatives.

The mission came as the Government of Kenya advances the Shirika Plan, its framework for moving beyond long-term encampment towards greater social and economic inclusion of refugees within national and county systems.

In Turkana, where more than 320,000 refugees and asylum-seekers live alongside host communities, that transition has immediate implications for public services, local institutions and the wider economy.

The delegation, led by Dr Garry Conille, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, Ms Fatima Mohammed Cole, UNHCR Representative in Kenya and Ms Mercy Mwasaru, Acting Commissioner for Refugee Affairs, met Government and county leaders, UN teams, communities and partners across Kakuma and Kalobeyei. National and county representatives included Dr John Erus, Deputy Governor of Turkana County, Mr Julius Kavita, Turkana County Commissioner 

The visit focused on the conditions needed to support a more integrated approach, including stronger services, greater economic opportunity and better coordination around the needs of both refugees and host communities.

A transition that depends on stronger systems

The Shirika Plan represents an important change in direction.

For decades, many services for refugees have been provided through humanitarian systems operating alongside national and county structures. Shirika seeks to progressively expand refugees’ access to public services and economic opportunities while preserving protection and humanitarian assistance for those who continue to need it.

In practice, that means looking closely at the capacity of the systems expected to carry a greater share of the responsibility.

During the mission, the delegation reviewed challenges and opportunities across health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, energy and social protection. It also considered the role of agriculture, livestock and other livelihoods in expanding economic participation.

The discussions pointed to a clear challenge. Greater inclusion will place new demands on institutions that are already managing existing development pressures.

Health facilities require staff, medicines and financing. Schools require teachers, classrooms and learning materials. Water systems need infrastructure and maintenance. County institutions need the capacity to plan and deliver services to a larger and more diverse population.

The transition envisioned under Shirika will therefore depend not only on opening access to services, but also on investing in the systems that provide them.

“The joint mission brought forth to all of us the importance of moving together as one, because we cannot separate the people. They are members and residents of the same ecosystem,” said Ms Mercy Mwasaru, Acting Commissioner for Refugee Affairs.

The joint mission brought forth to all of us the importance of moving together as one, because we cannot separate the people. They are members and residents of the same ecosystem

“If we consolidate the resources we have and put them to prudent use and proper application, it is going to be life-changing for both refugees and host communities going forward.”

Building on what already exists

Turkana is not starting from a blank page.

The Kalobeyei Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan, or KISEDP, has already provided a framework for national and county governments, the UN, development partners, communities and other actors to work around shared services and local economic development.

That experience offers lessons for the next phase.

It has shown the value of planning around a shared geography rather than treating refugee and host populations as entirely separate constituencies. It has also shown that investments in services, infrastructure and livelihoods can support both communities when they are designed around local systems and county priorities.

But the scale of Shirika is broader.

The challenge now is how to take those lessons further while addressing the financing, institutional capacity and coordination required for a more sustained transition.

For Turkana County, that means connecting refugee inclusion to the county’s wider development priorities.

“For Turkana County, refugee inclusion must translate into stronger public services, infrastructure and economic opportunities that benefit both refugees and host communities,” said Dr John Erus, Deputy Governor of Turkana County.

“Through the Shirika Plan, KISEDP and its ASPIRE Roadmap, we have an opportunity to build on what has been achieved, strengthen county systems and attract investment that creates jobs, expands livelihoods and supports the development of the entire county.”

This connection is critical.

Turkana continues to face significant development gaps, including pressure on services, limited infrastructure, climate vulnerability and constrained economic opportunities. Any transition towards greater refugee inclusion will be more sustainable if it contributes to the county’s wider development rather than creating a separate set of interventions around refugee-hosting areas.

A more coherent UN response

The mission also highlighted the implications of Shirika for the UN Country Team.

The issues involved cut across multiple sectors and mandates: protection, health, education, water, social protection, livelihoods, financing, governance and local economic development.

No single agency holds all the expertise needed to address them.

“No single agency can deliver the Shirika Plan alone. Our responsibility as the UN Country Team is to listen to the Government, counties and communities and bring our different mandates and expertise together behind one shared approach,” said Dr Garry Conille, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya.

No single agency can deliver the Shirika Plan alone. Our responsibility as the UN Country Team is to listen to the Government, counties and communities and bring our different mandates and expertise together behind one shared approach.

“What we have seen and heard in Kakuma and Kalobeyei will help us shape practical, coordinated support that strengthens national and local systems while responding to the continuing needs of refugees and host communities.”

The mission therefore served not only as a review of conditions on the ground, but also as a test of how the UN itself needs to work differently.

Rather than approaching Shirika through separate agency programmes, the aim is to build a more coherent offer around Government and county priorities, combining humanitarian, development, financing and institutional expertise.

That approach will require greater clarity on where agencies lead, where they complement one another and how support can be organised around shared outcomes rather than individual mandates.

Beyond coordination

The scale of the transition will also require support beyond the UN system.

Government leadership and county ownership will remain central, but sustained donor engagement, development financing, private sector investment and community participation will also be needed.

Refugees and refugee-led organisations will need to be part of shaping the systems and opportunities that affect them. Host communities will need to see tangible benefits from the transition, particularly in services, infrastructure and livelihoods.

This is where the success of the Shirika Plan will ultimately be tested.

Not simply in whether more refugees are formally included in national and county systems, but in whether those systems become stronger, better financed and more capable of serving everyone.

Not simply in whether humanitarian structures are reduced, but in whether the institutions taking on greater responsibility are ready to do so.

And not simply in whether refugees gain access to opportunity, but in whether that opportunity expands for host communities as well.

The lessons from Kakuma and Kalobeyei will help shape UN support to the Government of Kenya and Turkana County and inform the Common Country Analysis and the next United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

For Turkana, the central challenge is now clearer: refugee inclusion will be sustainable only if it strengthens the place in which it happens.