Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen is in Geneva, Switzerland, where he is attending the eighth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025). On the sidelines of the event, Murkomen held key meetings with top United Nations officials, focusing on strengthening partnerships in security, refugee management, and disaster preparedness.
Kenya currently hosts over 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily in camps such as Dadaab and Kakuma, as well as in urban areas. In a meeting with Raouf Mazou, the Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Murkomen reaffirmed Kenya’s long-standing commitment to refugee protection. He highlighted the recently launched Shirika Plan, a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at integrating refugees into the socio-economic fabric of host communities.
“The Shirika Plan promotes self-reliance and resilience among displaced populations, while also delivering tangible benefits to host communities,” said Murkomen. He emphasized the need for deeper collaboration to address not just immediate humanitarian concerns, but also the root causes of displacement such as conflict and climate change.
Murkomen also urged the UNHCR to intensify its advocacy for peace in conflict-affected regions, noting that tackling violence at its source is crucial to reducing forced displacement.
In a separate bilateral meeting, Murkomen engaged with Kamal Kishore, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Discussions focused on enhancing Kenya’s disaster risk reduction capabilities through technology transfer, personnel training, and international cooperation in emergency response.
Kishore commended Kenya’s commitment to urban resilience and lauded the country’s recent launch of the “Early Warnings for All” (EW4All) initiative, designed to improve disaster preparedness and safeguard lives.
Murkomen also paid a courtesy visit to Fancy Too, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN Offices in Geneva, reiterating Kenya’s dedication to multilateral diplomacy since establishing its presence in Geneva in 1995.
The CS concluded by stating that the Ministry of Interior is committed to coordinating national efforts in disaster risk management to ensure a safer and more resilient Kenya.
