From Religion to Kinship: The Politics of Giving in Somali Diaspora Aid Networks

This article examines Somali diaspora humanitarianism by comparing mosque and kinship-based associations in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Eastleigh and Mogadishu – including fifty-seven interviews, four focus group discussions, and participant observation – it explores how aid is shaped by moral obligations, political loyalties, and communal expectations. Using Mauss's gift theory, the article argues that acts of giving, while framed as altruistic, reinforce social hierarchies, reciprocal obligations, and claims to legitimacy. Mosque associations mobilise large-scale aid during high-profile crises, blending religious authority with ideological outreach, while kinship associations provide sustained, relational support tied to ancestry, trust, and mutual accountability. Both modalities adapt traditional giving practices to digital tools, reshaping transnational solidarity and power. The study advances debates on diaspora humanitarianism by highlighting the entanglement of moral economy, identity politics, and informal governance, and by showing how giving practices in “near-diaspora” spaces such as Eastleigh reconfigure aid, obligation, and belonging across borders.