Kakuma, Tuesday, June 10 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
Turkana and Garissa Counties are set to benefit from the new Refugee management curriculum aimed at building the capacity of sector players in refugee management.
The curriculum, developed jointly by the Kenya School of Government (KSG), the Hague Academy for Local Governance (HALG), the Department of Refugee Services (DRS), and the County Governments of Turkana and Garissa, seeks to address the long-standing gap in formal training tools for sector players.
During a four-day forum in Kakuma, supported by VNG International, the draft curriculum was unveiled for stakeholder discussion and validation.
Isaiah Ekai, a project officer with VNG International, said the initiative aligns with the organisation’s mission to strengthen the capacity of local actors managing refugee affairs.
“This curriculum is a key deliverable under the Sustainable Development through Improved Local Governance (SDLG) program,” he said.
He added that the curriculum meant to provide a harmonised guide for training stakeholders involved in refugee governance.
Ekai also noted that the curriculum’s content was informed by field experiences, insights from sector stakeholders, academic research, and input from the refugee hosting county governments.
Turkana County’s Deputy Director of Resource Mobilisation and Donor Coordination, Mike Aupe, welcomed the draft and termed it timely, given shifting dynamics in refugee-host relations.
“We are witnessing reduced donor support and a growing call for integration of refugees with host communities,” he said. “This curriculum will be instrumental in equipping sector players to navigate the evolving refugee management landscape.”
The sentiments were echoed by the County Director of Environment, Phoebe Ekal, who lauded the curriculum draft for addressing environmental restoration and the mitigation of conflicts over natural resources between host and refugee communities.
The draft also received endorsements from the County Attorney’s office through the Director of Legal Affairs, Ekai Nabenyo, as well as representatives from the Turkana County Assembly, the Consortium of Refugee-Led Organisations, UNHCR, Sapcone, and local community-based organizations (CBOs).
