Life As Refugee In Kenya

Alba Nakuwa

I came to Nairobi in 2005 fleeing the civil war in South Sudan. I was eight years old. Now I am one of the 140,000 refugees from my country who, according to statistics of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), currently live in Kenya. I knew from the start that my life in this new country would not be easy. But the horrific situation we fled from prepared most of us to be ready for pretty much anything.

We refugees are not the only link between South Sudan and Kenya. The two neighbouring countries have always had quite a lot in common. Several ethnic groups have a history in both countries, especially Nilotic speakers such as the Luo and Dinka. Today, moreover, both countries belong to the East African Community and thus have close political and economic ties.

Kenya has a long track-record of providing asylum and protection to South Sudanese. In 1983, a civil war between the central government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army broke out. 

That war ended in 2005, and South Sudan became independent. Nonetheless, the country is not at peace. Violent clashes between official security forces and rebel militias continue. According to the UNHCR, a total of 2.4 million people have been displaced.

Some South Sudanese have lived for decades in the infamous Kakuma refugee camp and its extension, Kalobeyei settlement, near the border between Kenya and South Sudan. I was lucky, because my stay there lasted only about a month and I could move to Kenya’s capital soon. I felt privileged as well to be among those who had the opportunity to receive a full formal education, from primary school to university. Of course it was not easy to study in a foreign country. 

We refugee children typically spoke Arabic or local languages like Didinga or Laarim. The more English and Swahili I understood, the more things began to make sense to me. At first, I was scared of the new school and the new environment. Kenyan culture, however, is quite diverse, comprising at least 43 ethnic groups plus refugees from other countries like Somalia. Everyone is a stranger here from time to time and in different environments, so the interactions at school were quite natural. Refugees receive UNHCR support to enroll in school. 

Many struggle nonetheless because they lack documents and proper guidance on how to proceed in the new system. Among refugees in Kenya, the number of school dropouts is indeed quite high. Financial stress is another reason for this. Although education in Kenya is mostly free at the primary level, it becomes difficult at the secondary and tertiary levels, where tuition charges cost considerable amounts of money. I consider peace and stability in Kenya a blessing. Most of us feel safe here. The Kenyan constitution contains clear guidelines and democratic principles, which in most cases serve to avoid conflict. The history of South Sudan, by contrast, is marked by war and violence. 

However, our status has some downsides. Unemployment remains a major problem for many South Sudanese, even after getting university degrees, integrating into everyday life as much as possible and mastering Swahili and other Kenyan languages. Kenya’s 2021 Refugee Act inspires some hope that problems faced by South Sudanese and other refugees may be solved to some extent. For example, the bill affirms that refugees should be able to enter employment and also trade freely if they have the necessary qualifications.

-- Development And Cooperation