Urban refugees in Kenya’s National Household Survey

Overall objectives

The activity will be implemented by the World Bank in close collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and UNHCR. The activity will produce comparative datasets that will be made available online after appropriate anonymization. The datasets will provide an evidence base to inform policies for displaced populations and host communities in Kenya.

In addition, the activity will produce a comparative socioeconomic profile for both populations and provide policy recommendations to improve and reach sustainable livelihoods. With evidence-based and targeted programs and policies, the livelihoods of these populations are more likely to be improved. While the results will be tailored specifically to Kenya, they will also form a case study that can contribute to the global debate on displacement. The main beneficiaries will be the Government of Kenya, the Nairobi County Government, UNHCR, the World Bank and other development and humanitarian actors in Kenya, including the World Food Programme, International Organization for Migration, Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. In addition, the activity will contribute to a better evidence base globally and benefit regional and global actors concerned with displacement and other vulnerable populations.

Activity description

The objective of this activity is to alleviate the data and analysis gap by producing comparative datasets for refugees and host communities that are integrated into the framework of Kenya’s Continuous Household Survey (KCHS). This will be followed by dissemination of the datasets and corresponding analyses to provide an evidence base programs and policies that improve livelihoods.

Engagement with partners

This activity will be part of the ongoing collaboration between the World Bank, the KNBS and UNHCR. Specifically, ongoing collaboration includes the implementation of UNHCR-WB socioeconomic assessments and household surveys by the KNBS.

Background and Context

Since 1992, Kenya has been a generous host to refugees and asylum seekers, a population of almost 600,000 people. The refugees – along with the host communities that are often extremely poor – remain vulnerable, and are often deprived of sustainable development opportunities. Data on the socioeconomic characteristics of camp and non-camp refugees, and host communities is important to understand sustainable livelihoods needs and barriers to achieve them. Without comparative data, interventions risk being designed only for refugees, excluding the host communities. Refugees are not explicitly included in national household surveys in Kenya, so comparative analysis of this vulnerable population is severely limited, as are the interventions in the humanitarian and development nexus.