Remittance Biographies, Translocal Households, and Somali Food Security in Nairobi, Kenya

This paper examines the complex dynamics of bi-directional and multi-directional remitting among Somali migrant and refugee households in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Drawing on mixed-methods research conducted in 2022 with 268 survey respondents and 45 in-depth and key informant interviews, the paper explores how Somali households simultaneously receive remittances from relatives in multiple countries while remitting outward to kin in Somalia. Findings reveal that inbound remittances, primarily from the North Atlantic corridor, significantly enhance household welfare by stabilizing income, improving dietary diversity, and mitigating urban food insecurity. However, outward remittances impose financial strain, compelling some households to reduce meal quality or skip meals to meet transnational obligations. The study conceptualizes these overlapping flows as “remittance biographies” within translocal and multilocal household networks spanning Africa, Europe, and North America. These networks embody cultural norms of reciprocity and moral duty, while also exposing migrants to economic precarity. The findings challenge the conventional unidirectional Global North–South narrative of remitting, highlighting instead a multilayered geography of obligation that both sustains and constrains urban Somali food security in Nairobi.