Towards a comprehensive response to internal displacement in Kenya: a roadmap for action

Kenya enacted a far reaching IDP Act in 2012, but has not yet adopted the policy that was drafted in the aftermath of the displacement caused by political violence in 2007 and that could assist to equip the country with a fully functioning internal displacement response system. In addition, while being party to the Great Lakes Pact, the Kenyan Government is still to sign and ratify the Kampala Convention. This new IDMC paper looks at the challenges that remain to be addressed to ensure the implementation of the Act and the legislative actions required for the overall IDP normative framework of Kenya to work in a harmonic and coordinated fashion. The ratification of the Kampala Convention represents a desirable step that would confirm Kenya’s commitment to prevent and solve displacement. The domestication of the Convention would also create an opportunity for further strengthening and rationalizing the institutional mechanisms in charge of a humanitarian response.