Spatial suitability analysis for site selection of refugee camps using hybrid GIS and fuzzy AHP approach: The case of Kenya

Abstract

The refugee crisis forces various security, economic and natural weight on host nations. To house refugees, camps are considered a preferred option by humanitarian agencies and governments. The siting of refugee camps is an inherently complex and multidisciplinary task and can result in further displacement and long-term risks and distress to people of concern. This study proposes a geospatial decision-making approach combining geographic information systems (GIS) technology and fuzzy-analytical hierarchy process (F-AHP) method to assess land suitability and identify the optimal sites of refugee camps in Kenya. Four main factors and 19 evaluation criteria relevant to geographical, environmental, infrastructure, and social aspects are thoroughly investigated. The F-AHP is applied to determine the weights of the adopted criteria in consultation with three experts. The geospatial analysis is established using ArcGIS Pro software to derive the suitability map of refugee camps. The results concluded that Kenyan territory is classified into four ranks, low suitable represents 6.5% of the total surface area, 10.6% moderate suitable, 10.3% suitable, and 7.5% high suitable. Further, the analysis showed that the existing camps are located in unsuitable areas, whether north or east. Thus, the current study recommends moving these camps to areas far away from the flooded risk lands. In addition, eighteen new camps sites were suggested to host current and future refugees as well. The majority of these sites are located in Northeast, Northwest, and Northern Kenya, near the Kenyan borders with refugees' countries of origin. The findings revealed that the proposed new locations have superlative m2/refugee and approved the minimum area for a refugee (45 m2) defined by UNHCR.