The Garissa County Assembly and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have commenced discussions aimed at establishing a formal partnership to improve refugee governance and enhance development efforts benefiting both refugees and local communities.

The meeting, held at the Garissa County Assembly, involved UNHCR representatives led by Deputy Country Representative Robin Ellis, alongside Assembly Speaker Abdi Idle Gure and other officials. The talks focused on creating a structured cooperation framework to bolster the Assembly's legislative, oversight, and policy roles regarding refugee-related matters.

Key Areas of Cooperation

  • Strengthening the Assembly's capacity in lawmaking and oversight related to refugee management.
  • Supporting the implementation of the Refugees Act at the county level.
  • Promoting civic engagement through initiatives such as the Ward Youth Champions Programme.
  • Enhancing conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms under the Shirika Plan.
  • Improving project accountability and transparency between the County Assembly and UNHCR.

Speaker Gure emphasized the Assembly's readiness to formalize the partnership to ensure continuous engagement on mutual development goals. He highlighted the Assembly’s constitutional mandate to approve budgets and oversee programmes that affect both refugees and host communities.

Robin Ellis welcomed the Assembly’s commitment to transparent governance and expressed UNHCR’s dedication to ongoing collaboration. She noted that lessons from Turkana County are informing support for the Garissa Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan, which aims to expand access to services and economic opportunities for all residents.

Henok Ochalla, Head of the UNHCR Dadaab Sub-Office, affirmed the importance of the Assembly as a partner and cited existing inclusion of refugees in county policies. He expressed confidence in the successful implementation of integrated development efforts supported by political will and human resource capacity in Garissa.

UNHCR official Charles Odera highlighted recent legislation by the Assembly on municipal financing as a positive step toward enhancing public service delivery for both refugees and host populations.

The partnership discussions mark a significant step toward more coordinated governance and sustainable solutions for refugee and host community welfare in Garissa County.