Center for Refugee Studies, Moi University, Kenya

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https://hdl.handle.net/10919/50816
The Centre for Refugee Studies is a program of the Department of Government and Public Administration in the School of Social, Cultural and Development Studies at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya.

It began its activities in 1992 with a weeklong course for government officials and NGOs on “Refugee Rights and Law.” Its overall objectives are to establish CRS as a center of excellence in the study of forced migration and to create an environment in which people understand the root causes of refugee flows and which encourages them to be part of seeking solutions.

The Centre offers courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and organizes public events designed to promote awareness of issues of displacement. It works to promote multidisciplinary approaches to refugee issues with a view to improving our understanding of the causes and consequences of forced population movement. CRS networks with NGO and agencies to improve refugee protection and seeks to develop strategies for successful integration of refugees. It also seeks to evaluate existing refugee programs and to explore the possibilities for more development-oriented programs.

CRS is also a center of research on forced migration in the region. It has grouped its research activities around the following themes:
  • History of Population Displacement in the Great Lakes Region
  • Refugee Policy and Legal Regime
  • The Humanitarian Regime, Assistance and Protection of Refugees
  • Economy and Livelihood of Refugees and IDPs
  • Culture of the Refugee Family: Behavioral Characteristics of Displaced Persons
  • Education of Refugees and Displaced Persons
  • Refugee Healthcare and Welfare
  • Conflict and Security Issues in Human Displacement
  • Gender Issues in Forced Migration

This VTechWorks collection is sponsored by the Virginia Tech Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention and by Brett Shadle, Associate Professor in the Department of History.

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Browsing Center for Refugee Studies, Moi University, Kenya by Subject "Ethnic conflict"

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    Blaming the Environment: Ethnic Violence and the Political Economy of Displacement in Kenya
    Kagwanja, Peter (Moi University. Center for Refugee Studies, 2002)
    Within the context of historical and political economy, this paper examines the link between environmental stress and the contemporary problems of ethnic violence and forced migrations, specifically internal displacement in Kenya. It examines the various theoretical links to political and ethnic persecution which cause displacement and environmental stress. Examining the historical antecedents of the phenomenon of displacement in Kenya, the paper argues that environmental stress per se cannot generate violence and displacement. Instead, over the years natural catastrophes and environmental degradation have created fertile grounds to justify violence. Internal displacement is essentially a creation of war, persecution, violence and human rights violations. The paper concludes that the healing process, beyond violence and displacement, must incorporate both the human made causes of displacement and environmental problems.
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    The Crisis of Governance: Politics and Ethnic Conflict in Kenya
    Chelanga, James K.; Ndege, Peter O.; Singo, Stephen M. (Moi University. Center for Refugee Studies, 2009)
    The most pronounced characteristics of Kenya's governance since independence in 1963 are ethnicity, ethnic conflict and the politics of patronage and clientelism. Today, Kenya is more ethnically divided than it has ever been before in the history of its existence. In the last decade, for instance, ethnic violence erupted in seven of the country's eight provinces, claiming several hundreds of lives and displacing thousands of others. The persistence of ethnic conflicts in Kenya is unsettling. Apart from the fact that these conflicts lead to insecurity and loss of many lives and property, they also cast doubts about the efficacy of governance and a serious uncertainty regarding the prospects of democracy in the country. From an academic point of view the situation calls for a reassessment of existing views about ethnicity and its relations with politics. This research conducts a contextual and empirical analysis of the phenomenon of ethnicity, ethnic conflict and its relations with the processes of governance and constitutional reform. The objectives of this study were to: analyze ethnicity in the context of the political landscape in Kenya, establish links between economic, social, political and ethnic conflicts, examine how ethnic conflicts have been managed, and assess the influence of ethnicity on the ongoing constitutional reform and the debate on the presidential succession. This study gathered primary data through field surveys in areas that have experienced ethnic conflicts since 1990. Field interviews were carried out with respondents selected from victims of ethnic violence, politicians, lawyers, and officials of government, NGOs, churches, and civil societies. The study uses secondary data from relevant published works. The study concludes with an analysis of the implications of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts for the ongoing constitution reform process and draws theoretical and empirical conclusions regarding Kenya's experiences with ethnicity and ethnic conflicts, and recommends what should be done to reconcile competing ethnicity with responsible citizenship for the purpose of enhancing democratic governance.