RUFUS KARANJA
Forced Migration Policy Expert | Speaker | Moderator
Bridging policy, practice, and public dialogue to advance durable solutions for displacement-affected communities across Africa.
WHAT I DO
Policy & Advisory
I Support the design and implementation of policies on forced displacement, human rights, and durable solutions for affected communities across East Africa and the Horn.
Programme Leadership
I oversee multi-stakeholder UN and NGO programmes that deliver protection, livelihoods, and long-term solutions for displaced populations.
Speaking & Moderation
I curate and facilitate high-level conversations at policy forums, conferences, and multi-stakeholder dialogues across the continent and internationally.
ABOUT ME
I am a development and humanitarian professional with over 14 years of experience working on forced migration, human rights advocacy, and durable solutions across East and the Horn of Africa. My work focuses on connecting policy to practice , translating evidence into action and bringing diverse voices into the policy conversations that shape millions of lives.
Speaking & Media
I am a trusted moderator and speaker on forced migration, development policy, and humanitarian response, with experience facilitating discussions at regional and international platforms.My approach is grounded in clarity, inclusivity, and the ability to connect diverse perspectives from policymakers and practitioners to individuals with lived experience.
Selected engagements include:
1. High-level policy panels on forced displacement and refugee protection
2. Regional and international development conferences
3. Multi-stakeholder workshops on durable solutions
4.Academic and think-tank roundtables on East African humanitarian policy
Thought Leadership & Selected Works
Converting Data into Action: How the Government-led Durable Solutions Progress (DSP) Survey Supports Solutions to Internal Displacement in Somalia
Failure to recognize, integrate and fund RLOs within displacement response (Issue 74, 2024)
Asylum space in Kenya: Evolution of refugee protection over 20 years
Lessons learned from the EU RE-INTEG Durable Solutions Consortia (Somalia) (2020)
Organizations & Institutions
Partners, institutions, and organizations across East Africa and globally with whom I have worked and served.
Chair of the Board
Lulu Memorial Library - a centre of excellence and inspirational model library that promotes a reading culture among less-privileged children with limited access or no access to books.
Alumni networks & Affiliations
Alumni of the Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Center (RSC) International School on Forced Migration (2023)
Alumni of the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius Summer School on Global Governance (2022)
Delegate at the Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) Raisina Dialogue 2024 and Raisina Dialogue 2023 in New Delhi, India
Delegate at the Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) Kigali Dialogue 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda
Delegate at the Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) G20 to COP28: Climate, Energy, Growth 2023 Conference in Abu Dhabi, UAE