Can one of Africa’s refugee camps evolve into city?

Windswept and remote, set in the cattle-rustling lands of Kenya’s north-west, Kakuma was never meant to be permanently settled.

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It became one of Africa’s most famous refugee camps by accident as people escaping conflicts in countries like South Sudan, Ethiopia and Congo poured in. More than three decades after its first tents appeared in 1992, Kakuma houses 300,000 refugees. Many rely on aid to survive. Some recently clashed with police over shrinking food rations and support. Now the Kenyan government and humanitarian agencies have come up with an ambitious plan for Kakuma to evolve into a city. Although it remains under the United Nations’ management, Kakuma has been redesignated a municipality, and that puts local governments in official control.