Kenya’s neglected IDPs

The report highlights the systemic neglect of 200,000 to 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Kenya, who face severe vulnerability due to a combination of colonial legacies, violent conflict, human rights abuses, and climatic factors. It argues that while IDPs in other regions of Kenya received significant support following the 2007/08 post-election violence, pastoralist IDPs are largely unaccounted for and receive only inadequate, short-term humanitarian aid. The document calls for the adoption of a national IDP policy, ratification of the Kampala Convention, and a shift toward long-term security and development solutions.

• Between 200,000 and 400,000 pastoralists in northern Kenya are estimated to be internally displaced, yet they remain largely invisible in national and international discourses and receive inadequate responses.
• Displacement in northern Kenya is driven by a complex set of interrelated factors, including the legacy of colonial borders that disrupted traditional resource management, violent cattle raiding, human rights violations by state security forces, and climatic disasters like drought and flooding.
• State security forces have been directly implicated in causing displacement through human rights violations, specifically citing the 1984 Wagalla massacre in Wajir district and disarmament operations in 2009.
• Responses to pastoralist displacement are typically limited to short-term humanitarian aid, such as food distribution or herd restocking, rather than sustainable solutions based on security and development.
• There is a stark disparity in the level of support provided to IDPs in northern Kenya compared to those affected by the 2007/08 post-election violence (PEV) in other regions, such as the Rift Valley, where the government and international donors implemented comprehensive shelter, livelihood, and reconciliation programs.
• Existing legal and policy instruments to protect IDPs are either not implemented or not applied in northern Kenya, including a lack of presence from the Protection Working Group and the non-ratification of the African Union Convention (Kampala Convention).

APA

Sheekh, N. M., Atta-Asamoah, A., & Sharamo, R. (2012). Kenya’s neglected IDPs. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2012_8Oct.pdf

Chicago

Sheekh, Nuur Mohamud, Andrews Atta-Asamoah, and Roba Sharamo. Kenya’s neglected IDPs. Institute for Security Studies, 2012. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2012_8Oct.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sheekh |first1=Nuur Mohamud |last2=Atta-Asamoah |first2=Andrews |last3=Sharamo |first3=Roba |title=Kenya’s neglected IDPs |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=8 October 2012 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2012_8Oct.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sheekh2012kenyas, author = {Sheekh, Nuur Mohamud and Atta-Asamoah, Andrews and Sharamo, Roba}, title = {{Kenya’s neglected IDPs}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2012}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2012_8Oct.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }