Deo Kamuzinzi is a refugee advocate, community leader, and creative professional based in Nairobi, Kenya. He serves as the Advocacy Lead at Youth Voices Community (YVC), where he works on advancing refugee rights, economic inclusion, and policy engagement, including initiatives focused on access to work, documentation, and self-reliance. With lived experience as a refugee, his work bridges grassroots realities and high-level advocacy, contributing to regional efforts such as refugee-led coalitions and research initiatives across East Africa. Beyond advocacy, he is a musician, actor, and entrepreneur, using storytelling and art to amplify community voices and drive social change.

For decades, the humanitarian sector has operated through a top-down model, where international
non-governmental organisations (INGOs) design and deliver responses on behalf of refugees. While
these institutions have played a critical role in saving lives, they have also, often unintentionally,
reinforced a system where refugees are seen as passive recipients rather than active agents of change.

Today, a shift is underway. The call for localisation is no longer rhetorical. Refugee-led organisations (RLOs) are not only participating in humanitarian action but are increasingly shaping it. The real question is no longer whether RLOs are ready to lead, but whether the system is ready to let go.

I speak not only as an advocate, but as someone whose life has been shaped by displacement. For
many refugees in Kenya, including those born and raised here, the struggle is not about
emergency aid but about dignity, identity, and access. Imagine spending over two decades in a
country you call home, yet remaining locked out of opportunities because of documentation
barriers. This is not an abstract policy issue. It is a daily lived reality. It is also why refugee-led
leadership is not optional. It is necessary.

Challenging the Myth of the “Capacity Gap”
A common argument against transitioning power to refugee-led organisations is the perceived
“capacity gap.” Concerns around financial systems, compliance requirements, and technical
expertise are often used to justify why INGOs should remain in control.

But this framing raises a more fundamental question: capacity for what, and defined by whom?
As the humanitarian system shifts toward localisation, what is required is not only technical
compliance, but contextual intelligence, trust, and sustained community presence. These are areas
where RLOs are not lacking, but leading.

RLOs bring a form of capacity rooted in lived experience. They understand not only policy
frameworks, but the everyday barriers that prevent those policies from working. They know
how systems function in practice, where they fail, and how communities navigate them. This
positions RLOs not just as implementers, but as actors capable of shaping solutions that are
realistic, responsive, and sustainable.

The transition of power to RLOs fundamentally reshapes humanitarian response. It shifts
programming from externally defined priorities to community-driven agendas, ensuring that
resources are directed toward needs identified by those most affected.

It also redefines accountability. Instead of being primarily upward to donors, accountability
becomes grounded within the community. This creates stronger transparency, faster feedback
loops, and interventions that evolve in real time.

From a funding perspective, localisation requires more than rhetoric. It requires a redistribution
of resources. Direct funding to RLOs reduces layers of bureaucracy, increases efficiency, and
enables more adaptive responses. It also strengthens sustainability by investing in institutions
that remain embedded in communities beyond project cycles.

The question, therefore, is no longer whether RLOs have the capacity. It is whether the system
is willing to recognise and invest in the capacity that already exists.

From Readiness to Delivery: What Happens When RLOs Lead
If the shift toward refugee-led leadership becomes a full reality, the result will not be
disruption, but a reconfiguration of how humanitarian systems function.

RLOs are already embedded within communities, making implementation faster, more adaptive,
and more cost-effective. With fewer intermediaries, resources reach communities more directly,
and decisions can be made in real time in response to evolving needs.

In practice, RLO-led response will operate through hybrid models. RLOs lead on design,
implementation, and community engagement, while INGOs and other actors provide technical
support, compliance systems, and large-scale coordination. This is not a replacement of one
system with another, but a redistribution of roles based on comparative advantage.

At the same time, RLOs are strengthening the systems that define institutional readiness. From
financial management to monitoring and evaluation, many are aligning with international
standards while maintaining their community-rooted approach. Their strength lies in combining
proximity with growing institutional capacity.

Most importantly, RLO-led systems are inherently more sustainable. Unlike international actors
that may exit when funding cycles end, RLOs remain. They carry institutional memory,
community trust, and long-term commitment. This continuity reduces the risk of disruption
and ensures that progress is sustained over time.

The real risk, therefore, is not that RLOs will fail if given power, but that the system continues
to overlook the most effective actors already within it.

Proximity as a Professional Strength
One of the most underappreciated strengths of RLOs is proximity. Refugee-led organisations
are embedded within the communities they serve, creating a form of accountability that is
immediate, personal, and rooted in trust.

Unlike many INGOs that are primarily accountable to donors, RLOs are accountable to their
communities. Their leadership is shaped by shared lived experiences and daily realities,
ensuring that interventions are relevant and responsive to real needs.

When RLOs advocate for better documentation or access to services, they are not engaging in
abstract policy debates. They are addressing barriers that directly affect their own lives and
those of their communities. This level of commitment cannot be outsourced.

Demonstrating Readiness for Leadership
Refugee-led organisations are not waiting to be invited into leadership. They are already
building the systems and partnerships needed to lead effectively.

Many are strengthening governance structures, improving financial accountability, and
aligning with donor requirements. Others are joining coalitions, such as the Refugees Access
to Work and Inclusion in Eastern Africa (RAWI-EA), to amplify collective influence and engage
more effectively in policy spaces.

At the same time, RLOs are investing in research and evidence generation. Through initiatives
like The Future with Wakimbizi, they are documenting lived realities, shaping policy
discussions, and proposing community-driven solutions. These efforts demonstrate that RLOs
are not only capable of implementation but also of strategy, leadership, and systems change.

Rethinking the Role of INGOs
The transition toward refugee-led leadership does not mean that INGOs become irrelevant.
Rather, their role must evolve.

INGOs must shift from being primary implementers to enablers. This includes providing
technical support, facilitating access to funding, and advocating for the legal recognition of
RLOs. It also means opening doors that have historically remained closed. This transition
requires intentionally letting go of power and a recognition that long-term impact is best
achieved when communities lead their own development.

A New Chapter for Humanitarian Action
The movement toward refugee-led leadership is both practical and moral. It challenges long-
standing power imbalances and affirms the principle of “nothing about us without us.”  

For those who have spent years navigating exclusion, the message is clear: lived experience is
not a limitation. It is expertise. The global humanitarian system must move beyond consultation toward genuine partnership. Supporting RLOs is not about charity. It is about trust, equity, and sustainability.

Refugee-led organisations have already demonstrated their ability to lead. The task now is not
to question their readiness, but to invest in it. This is not just about reforming systems. It is
about redefining who holds power within them. And that future must be refugee-led.      

                                                        Graduation Day at Youth Voices Community(YVC)

“A common argument against transitioning power to refugee-led organisations is the                    perceived “capacity gap.” Concerns around financial systems, compliance requirements,                   and technical expertise are often used to justify why INGOs should remain in control.”                             By Deo Kamuzinzi, Refugee Advocate & Community Leader, Youth Voices Community (YVC)