Jacqueline Owigo is a PhD candidate at the United States International University –Africa. Her research interests include forced migration, return migration and repatriation, and postcolonial and feminist theory. She holds a Master’s degree in international studies with a research focus on United Nations charcoal ban in Somalia and its implication on terrorism. As part of her professional experience, Owigo has worked on migration policies and programmes in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia on refugee protection, return and (re)integration, migrant smuggling, and human trafficking. She is a 2019 recipient of SSRC Next Generation’s Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Fellowship and 2018 PhD Scholar at the Mawazo Institute, Nairobi.
Award Information
The main purpose of this research is to examine the post-conflict reintegration experiences of returned migrants with disrupted migration cycle (failed asylum seekers and deportees) and to explain the strategies they use to overcome structural constraints as they cope in their post-return situations. A mixed method approach will be used and will involve collecting quantitative data first through a survey, then followed up with in-depth interviews. Interviews will be held with returning migrants and key actors dealing with returnees such as Somali government agencies, donor organizations, NGO's, research agencies and faith-based communities. The proposed study will highlight the opportunities and the challenges that the returning migrants face from their very own perspective with a view of helping identify areas for policy intervention that may be effective in improving reintegration outcomes.
