Community level advocacy
In both Kampala and Nairobi, Re:BUiLD conducts community-level advocacy through partners PLAVU and Pamoja Trust, respectively. Our community-level advocacy promotes social cohesion, peaceful co-existence, inclusion of refugees in governance spaces and amplification of refugee and host community voices. The community-level advocacy is complemented by the national level engagements the program has with city authorities in Kampala and Nairobi.
National-Level Engagements done by Pamoja Trust
Media Engagement and Visibility
A joint forum with CSOs, RLOs, and media stakeholders was organized to document government efforts in enabling refugee inclusion and to identify opportunities for positive media reporting on refugee self-reliance and economic participation. This helped strengthen partnerships between media and refugee networks to promote accurate and empowering narratives.
Promoting Inclusion in County Services
To address barriers to service access, Re:BUiLD collaborated with the NCCG public health sub-sector in a workshop that explored refugee health challenges and proposed a framework for engaging refugees as community health champions. Additionally, RLOs, CSOs, and community leaders reviewed the Shirika Plan, producing an advisory document with recommendations for integrating urban refugees into local policy frameworks.
Advocacy & systems strengthening for refugee inclusion at community level
In June 2025, we organized radio talk shows in celebration of International Women’s Day, amplifying refugee women’s voices and highlighting their rights and contributions to self-reliance and integration. Refugee and host women rights defenders received training on advocacy and human rights, equipping them with practical strategies for seeking justice and protection. The International Women’s Day commemoration in Kawangware brought together refugee and host women to showcase initiatives in gender-based violence (GBV) response, livelihoods, and cultural preservation, promoting mutual learning and solidarity.
Refugee Led Organization capacity enhancement on institutional governance and sustainability
The Kangemi network’s Imani group received training on financial literacy, group savings, and alternative livelihoods such as poultry and mushroom farming, and was linked to Equity Bank for account opening. Re:Build also held co-learning sessions with RLO leaders to co-design a year-long capacity-building program. This resulted in a refugee-led organizations status report that identified key thematic areas for future training, capacity enhancement, and sustainability.
In its efforts to promote integration of refugees with host communities and build cohesion within urban communities, Pamoja trust has been conducting capacity building sensations to 15 Refugee Led Organizations in Nairobi and its Metropolitan to compliment on the organization’s efforts on refugee rights and inclusion. Rebuild program believes in the narrative that building strong RLO institutions creates an enabling environment to amplify integration efforts in Nairobi County. The RLOs have undergone series of trainings on institutional management, governance structures, key policy documents, internal control mechanisms, resource mobilization, stakeholder engagement and sustainability mechanisms.
The trainings have enabled RLO advance in their operations and simultaneously widen their scope of work. In Kitengela, 4 RLOs (Oak solution, Pamoja Twaweza, Port of Manna, Ubuntu refugee, Jump over Seven Feet) have not only managed to develop finance and procurement policies but have also been able to secure in kind support from donors and well-wishers. RLOs have been able to draft strategic plans that have seen them have more guided interventions featuring local players and government offices. In streamlining operations, working on governance structures and expanding partners base, Oak solution in Kitengela for instance have been able to attract bigger international donors with probability of securing bigger funding. Othe RLOs like Umoja Refugees and Kivuli curving have since established greater relations with Nairobi County government to an extent of securing exhibition booths in the county’s trade fair conducted quarterly.
Refugee and Host Community engagement with county government on advocacy
Re:BUiLD deepened collaboration between refugees, host communities, and local administration to enhance inclusion in governance structures. In areas such as Jamhuri, Roysambu, and Kangemi, refugees were integrated into chief barazas and security dialogues, fostering trust and mutual understanding. In Kayole, a joint activity involving tree planting and a chief’s baraza engaged 101 participants (refugees and hosts), strengthening linkages with local chiefs and improving community awareness of government services.
Refugees also participated actively in budget-making processes, including reviewing county budget estimates and the finance bill, where they, alongside host community budget champions, submitted memoranda to both the county and national assemblies.
Pamoja trust has facilitated conversations between refugee and host communities with Nairobi County Government in efforts to have refugee issues feature in government programs and policies and simultaneously respond to community needs. In the invited county spaces, refugee and host communities in the form of social movements have effectively engaged duty bearers in community project prioritization forums that led to formation of sub-county strategic plans. In the aftermath of the 2022 general elections, refugees and host communities through facilitation by Pamoja Trust took part in intensive rigorous processes to identify and prioritize key issues and projects in respective sub counties.
This led to the formation of community strategic plans that portrayed citizens’ aspirations and simultaneously addressed refugee service provision in key sectors like health and education. The strategic plans were developed in the sub counties of Westland, Dagoreti Noth, Kibra, Mathare, Kamukunji, Embakasi Central and South, Kasarani and Roysambu. The process saw participation of more than 100 refugees in this policy development process that later found their way into the Nairobi County integrated Development Plan for 2022-2027. In the pretext of marginalized groups, the document addresses refugee needs and even goes ahead to designate critical offices to respond to refugee concerns in Nairobi.
Re:BUiLD held bilateral meetings with county government departments to improve refugee access to health services and enhance their participation in county decision-making processes. Forums in Kibra, Kayole, and Githurai linked refugees with local administrative offices, including chiefs, Nyumba Kumi officials, and police, leading to the formation of temporary committees (such as in Kibra) to bridge service gaps. The team also participated in the launch of the Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) civic engagement report and contributed to the review of the NCCG Fiscal Strategy Paper 2025, ensuring refugee perspectives were represented in planning processes.
National-Level Engagements done by PLAVU
Scale refugee access to city services and city markets
PLAVU held strategic meetings with KCCA market masters, sector leaders & RLOs to develop pathways for enhanced refugee integration & access to city services and markets. A total of 65 leaders were reached out in 5 city markets of Nakawa, Nakasero, USAFI, Kalwere and Smart City Bazaar. The discussion focused on challenges, solutions, inclusivity, and strengthening coordination between refugees and host communities.
PLAVU also held two strategic meetings with the leaders of the five divisions of Kampala urban councils to align Kampala's policies with GRF commitments. The discussion emphasized inclusive urban development to benefit both refugees and host communities. A total of 61 participants attended including 27 refugees and 34 hosts. Director of Gender committed to convene a meeting with his directorate to discuss possibilities of recognition of the refugee ID as requirement for access to market spaces and market services.
Promoting refugee & host community networking events for social cohesion activities.
We held community level engagements with local community organizations to promote cooperation and collaboration in fostering refugee and host community relations for social cohesion. A total of 35 leaders were reached out including RLOs, refugee representatives, hosts, KCCA divisional leaders and local council leaders. The discussions focused on achievements, challenges, and policies, emphasizing collaboration, inclusive governance, and peaceful coexistence.
We also supported inclusion and integration of the village registration of refugees in the LC1 system to enhance refugee access to services. 35 local council leaders across 15 villages were trained with the aim of influencing them to ease access to , village IDs/recommendation letters for jobs/ or market spaces and ensuring integration at community level. A total of 700 refugees have so far been registered.
We held stakeholder divisional level engagement aimed to forge alliances, foster more opportunities for refugees to directly interact and connect & create spaces that foster refugee integration. A total of 45 leaders participated in this engagement composed of community groups representatives, RLOs, and representatives from KCCA.
Advocacy & systems strengthening for refugee inclusion at community level
PLAVU conducted training of 15 CPFs from Nakawa & Kawempe divisions to scale-up the CPF structures as a vehicle for inclusive participation of refugees in participatory planning, access to services and market opportunities.
We also conducted engagement meetings with market leaders of Kalwere, Smart City Bazar and Nakawa markets with the aim of scaling up refugee inclusion & uptake of market spaces and access to business.
Drafting of learning brief: Jointly drafted a learning brief with IRC under the title “Agents of change: community process Facilitators, Driving refugee-host integration in Kampala” aimed at show-casing the CPF structure can be a catalyst for inclusive systems changes at community level.
Strong Markets and effective responsive city services accessible to all
In its efforts to strengthen community participation and link refugees with local governance structures, PLAVU has been conducting capacity building sensations to 30 local council leaders from 15 villages, aiming to register 200 refugees in to the local council registry. As a result of this initiative, there is a notable increase in refugees' access to services, particularly the ability to obtain official recommendation letters, which are critical for accessing education and employment. Furthermore, this inclusive model has been adopted by other villages within the city, demonstrating its effectiveness and potential for broader scale-up.
PLAVU has also convened 2 dialogues and awareness sessions with 113 market leaders from five public city markets to advocate for refugee access to market spaces and align city access policies with inclusivity goals. The discussions engaged market authorities, vendor representatives, and refugee traders to foster economic integration. Public market authorities and leaders pledged to support in registration and allocation of stalls to interested refugees. The market leadership also committed to conduct regular mapping and updating of the register of spaces/stalls/pitches available at the markets for refugee access.
Enhancing Access to Public Services for Refugees and Host Communities
As part of documenting its efforts to improve access to public services, PLAVU developed an Access to Services Map to support urban refugees and host communities in Kampala. The map identifies government health facilities and community-based development programs available across the city’s five divisions. It also outlines the types of services offered—such as healthcare, youth and women empowerment initiatives, and social protection programs—along with their eligibility criteria. This tool is designed to empower communities with accurate, up-to-date information, enabling them to navigate available services more effectively and advocate for their rights.