Kenya: Urban refugees in Nairobi: Protection, survival and integration

This article examines the legal status and economic livelihoods of Ethiopian and Somali refugees in Nairobi. The article challenges the Government of Kenya's official position and the popular local perception that refugees are an economic burden and argues instead that most urban refugees are successful, self-sufficient entrepreneurs. By highlighting refugee self-sufficiency in Nairobi, this article lends support to the idea of local integration as a viable, durable solution to their situation of protracted exile.