Refugee Spaces and Urban Citizenship in Nairobi

Kenya has been the third major outlet through which hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and South Sudan flee from political persecution and for better livelihoods. This book is a commentary of Nairobi as an urban refugee space. It provides an in-depth ethnographic account and analysis of state-refugee relations in Nairobi focusing mainly on the lived experience of Ethiopian refugees. In addition, the author employs Henry Lefebvre’s work on “right to the city” to explore and qualify whether the literature in urban citizenship can speak to the Kenyan experience. This book is a timely and remarkable addition into the cannon of scholarship in comparative urban studies, African studies, and refugee studies.

Using Lefebvre’s 'right to the city' as his foil and set in the context of Kenyan history and state policy, Derese Kassa takes us inside the rich and nuanced experiences of Ethiopian refugees in Nairobi— economic agents striving to retain their humanity and dignity in the face of corruption and police harassment. Asserting a 'right to the nation-state,' the author grapples with the meanings of refugee, immigrant, and citizen. Too often theorizing runs west to east, north to south. The circumstances of these African 'stranded strangers' provide lessons that flow in the reverse., This book on African refugees living in Nairobi is a welcome addition to the literature on African urbanization. Until now, much of this literature has focused on the problems of managing rapidly growing cities under conditions of poverty for large groups of the population. This study takes a more imaginative look at the conditions of life, and prospects for integration of a previously ignored group –  refugees from neighboring countries. Using detailed information from 30 Ethiopians  in Nairobi (out of a total estimated urban refugee population of up to 100,000 in that city), we are treated to a fascinating account of the conditions and challenges of an increasingly important group of urban dwellers. Although they face daily challenges of police misconduct and (for most) only distant prospects for full local citizenship, refugees undertake many important economic and social roles in this capital city, and add considerably to its cultural diversity and potential., Kassa has written a terrific book exploring urban citizenship and the efforts of Ethiopian refugees in Nairobi to secure a place in the city to live and work. The book is extremely well-written and accessible. It is suitable for use in undergraduate and graduate courses in urban politics, urban sociology, race and ethnicity, African politics, and immigration and migration.

Derese G. Kassa is assistant professor of sociology at Iona College.