From policy to practice: Employers explore role in Kenya’s Shirika Plan

NAIROBI, Kenya (ILO News) – Kenya’s Shirika Plan marks a milestone in the country’s efforts to promote refugee inclusion in the formal economy while strengthening social cohesion with host communities. To help employers understand what this means in practice, the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), the Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK), and the Centre for Mediation in Africa (CMA), with support from the ILO, convened a webinar to unpack the Plan’s opportunities and challenges for the private sector on 29 October 2025. Over 70 representatives from Kenya’s private sector participated.

Held as part of ongoing collaboration under the PROSPECTS Programme, the webinar aimed to educate employers about the Shirika Plan, identify potential areas of workplace conflict, and build employers’ capacity in mediation and conflict resolution.

The private sector has the potential to be a leader in the implementation of the Shirika Plan. Instead of being at the receiving end of government policy, the private sector has the potential to be the ones shaping and influencing that policy and how it is implemented.

Professor Cori Wielenga, Director of the Centre for Mediation in Africa

From Dialogue to Action

The webinar built on the momentum of the Roundtable on Refugee Workplace Inclusivity held in Nairobi on 22 July 2025, where business leaders, policymakers, and development partners agreed that the private sector must be at the forefront of implementing the Shirika Plan.

Three key priorities emerged from that dialogue:

• Clarifying the implications of the Shirika Plan for employers;
• Managing the social and organizational impacts of refugee inclusion on workplace cohesion; and
• Strengthening workforce planning to drive inclusive growth in the private sector.

Key insights: Understanding the Shirika Plan

During the webinar, Mr. Philip Ogonda (Advocacy, Policy Development and Governance Programme) and Mr. Shadrack Kuyoh (Research and Knowledge Management Manager) from the RCK offered a detailed overview of the Shirika Plan’s design and its implications for employers. Their presentation unpacked Kenya’s policy and legal frameworks for refugee management under the Refugees Act 2021, and elaborated on the Plan’s six foundational pillars:

• Systems Building
• Integrated Services
• Human Capital and Skills Development
• Climate Action
• Sustainable Economic Development
• Durable Solutions

They also outlined the Plan’s phased 12-year rollout – from the Transition Phase (2025–2027), through Stabilisation (2028–2031), to Resilience (2032–2035) – emphasizing that the early years are a critical window for the private sector to engage and shape outcomes.

Next Steps: Building Capacity for Inclusive Workplaces

As a next step, the FKE, in partnership with the ILO and the CMA, will host a three-day training workshop on “Workplace Inclusivity, Conflict Resolution, and Refugee Integration” from 19–21 November 2025 in Nairobi.

The training will bring together employers, business associations, and relevant actors to share best practices and strengthen their capacities to manage diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

This initiative represents a growing movement among Kenyan employers to champion inclusive economic growth and social cohesion, reaffirming Kenya’s leadership in advancing refugee inclusion and decent work across Africa.