International Transit Migration; The Case of Ethiopian Migrants in Kenya from 1995-2009

Abstract

Within international transit migration and its challenges and opportunities, this paper briefly assesses the case of Ethiopian migrants to Kenya and beyond. Recently, the Horn and Eastern Africa region has become one of the major hotspot of human smuggling and illegal migration in the world. Evidently, Kenya and Ethiopia, which are among the major hubs of such activities in the region, have been affected by international migration in all its manifestations. Nowadays, it has become a common event to watch and listen on the media and other sources the suffering of Ethiopian victims of human smuggling and illegal migration to Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and other parts of the region. Beyond the apparent problem on migrants, the issue is also negatively affecting the image of Ethiopia which is trying to change the often distorted perceptions about the country. Besides, the problem of human smuggling and illegal migration is causing political, social, security and related concerns for governments of transit and receiving countries like Kenya. However, even in the face of such real and serious challenges, interventions made to address the issue are mostly reactive and often uncoordinated. As a regional as well as global issue, addressing the challenges and opportunities of international migration requires the coordinated effort of all states as well as non-state actors that are directly or indirectly affected by or are involved in issues of international migration. Among other things, such interventions require formulation and harmonization of comprehensive national and regional policy legislations and continued implementation and evaluation of such policies at local, regional, as well as global level. It is also necessary for both sending and receiving countries as well as other non-state actors to properly address the root causes of migration in a sustainable manner. They should also create awareness about the perils of smuggling and illegal migration at community, national and regional levels using local as well as regional media, community and religious leaders, returned victims of smuggling and illegal migration and all other relevant means. On the other side, in line with the realities, the outcome of this research has also revealed that there are also positive sides of international migration if properly managed. Beyond filling the labor market gap in developed receiving countries, international migration plays a positive role at individual, state as well as regional level in sending countries