The “not yet” and “never” resettled: individual and communal waiting strategies among refugees in Kenyan camps

Abstract

For many refugees, going home is not possible because of continued instability and local integration is unavailable due to host country policies, so resettlement becomes the only possible “durable solution” to displacement. In Kenya, despite long-standing resettlement programmes, there remain over 588,000 refugees and asylum seekers living in the country. While most studies of resettlement focus on those who resettle, this paper sheds light on the perspectives of those who are still waiting in Kenyan camps for resettlement: those who have “not yet” and perhaps will “never” be resettled. Through focus groups and interviews with 75 refugees in the Dadaab refugee camps, Kakuma Refugee Camp, and Kalobeyei settlement, we find that camp residents experience waiting for resettlement individually and communally. Individually, camp residents assess options, place life plans on hold, and face the mental health consequences of prolonged uncertainty. Communally, camp residents interpret policy changes, share information, and exchange remittances.