Business travails in the diaspora: the challenges and resilience of Somali refugee business community in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

This research investigates the multiplicity of challenges encountered by the Somali refugee business community in Nairobi amidst their far-reaching business exploits. the challenges are examined from legal, political and social angles. The research further examines the nature of social relations between the Somali refugee business community on the one hand, and the Kenyan stakeholders on the other hand. Even the few recent works that have focused on urban refugees in Nairobi have essentially approached the subject from the negative slant of seeing refugees as a fundamentally deprived, problem-infested lot that need state protection and international humanitarian support. Beyond the shadow of the failed state of Somalia, it is apparent that a substantive fabric of societal life persists among the scattered Somali refugee population which makes them a force for good in capital mobilization, investments and entrepreneurship in the city of Nairobi in spite of all applicable odds. Nairobi operates in a difficult political and social environment. There exists a wide range of perceptions about this community such as their alleged involvement in the underground economy.