Refugees Role in Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons: The Case of Kakuma Refugees Camp -Kenya

Intra-state conflicts and resultant population displacements transcending their territorial boundaries to seek safer heavens in the neighboring states world over. This situation is aggravated by the fact that weapons used in this conflict find their way to refugee camps hence posing a security threat not only in the camp but also to the surrounding environs. This paper seeks to unearth the role played by refugees in proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Kakuma camp in Kenya. The paper was guided by the following objectives: to find out the origin of small arms and light weapons that proliferate in Kenya, to examine the reasons why they proliferate and finally the types of weapons that proliferate. The paper adopted a mixed approach in data collection and analysis. The paper found that; the weapons that proliferate originate from unstable neighboring states, the reasons for their proliferation are numerous ranging from their availability, portability and protection, the types of small and light weapons are: MK 4, FN, G3 FMP, G3 COF and AK 47. The paper finally recommends that there should be concerted efforts by the concerned states to address the issues leading to refugee’s situations to mitigate on proliferation of small arms and light weapons.