Facts
A total of
275,033
people in need received our assistance in 2022.
Humanitarian overview
Kenya hosts more than 400,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in the two camps Kakuma and Dadaab, as well as in urban areas. Most of the refugees are from Somalia and South Sudan. Some have lived in Kenya for decades, while many fled to Kenya during the 2010 drought and the civil war in South Sudan. Freedom of movement is constrained in the camps and livelihood and working opportunities are limited.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to seek refuge in Kenya. Somali citizens no longer automatically receive refugee status. In 2016, the Kenyan government announced that Dadaab will close, but this was blocked by the High Court in 2017. In 2019 and 2020 there were renewed calls for the closure of Dadaab and a roadmap for camp closure has been agreed upon between UNHCR and the Government of Kenya.
Internal displacement in Kenya is often overshadowed by the refugee situation. Kenyans have been internally displaced by droughts, food insecurity and floods, as well as ethnic conflicts. The present situation in arid and semi-arid land counties across Kenya remains precarious due to more droughts.
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6,006people benefited from our education programme
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1,483people benefited from our food security programme
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15,172people benefited from our ICLA programme
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252,490people benefited from our WASH programme
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11,380people benefited from other NRC activities
NRC's operation
We assist displaced people in refugee camps and the surrounding host communities in Garissa and Turkana counties.
Despite insecurity in Somalia, there is still pressure on Somali refugees to return home. We are concerned that Somalis returning through the Voluntary Repatriation Programme risk becoming internally displaced in Somalia or being forced to return to Kenya. We work together with our country operation in Somalia to advocate for genuine returns, and to help refugees make informed choices to ensure that they return safely and with dignity to genuine opportunity to reestablish their livelihoods.
Education
We provide displaced and vulnerable children and youth with basic education in Dadaab and Kakuma. Our education teams in both refugee and host community schools:
- provide vocational training where students receive professional certification in trades like computer skills, journalism, media and photography, electrical and solar installation, hairdressing and beauty therapy and tailoring and dress making
- make sure that children and youth who have missed out on education can catch up with their peers, through accelerated learning programmes
- provide children and teachers with learning materials
- conduct continuous professional development for teachers
Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)
We ensure that vulnerable displacement-affected populations are able to exercise their rights and achieve durable solutions. We:
- help displaced people to understand their rights and provide them with one-on-one legal counselling and assistance
- assist displaced people to access civil documentation such as birth, marriage and death certificates
- promote housing, land and property rights for refugees in camps to support wider protection and self-reliance strategies
- support refugees and vulnerable host community members to register their businesses and formalise community groups with local authorities
- collaborate with government and humanitarian partners to ensure that the legal framework of the country serves to protect displaced people in the long term
Livelihoods and food security
We strive to improve living conditions and access to livelihood opportunities. We:
- provide beneficiaries with higher skills in marketable value chains and increase their basic literacy and numeracy
- provide graduates from vocational training courses with business training, grants start-up packages and multiple services including mentorships and career guidance
- provide tailored advanced training for youth refugees in partnership with social enterprises in pre-identified value chains to access jobs and self-employment
- help refugees and surrounding host communities to form community groups and obtain business licences and access to loans and credit
Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH)
We work to sustain improved access to safe and sufficient water and collaborate with other actors to support the provision of safe access to sanitation facilities. We also deliver hygiene promotion for the displacement-affected refugee populations in Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps and settlements. We:
- design and operate water supply systems including source siting, abstraction, storage, treatment and distribution
- work with communities to plan for preventative and corrective maintenance routines, rehabilitations and replacements
- mobilise and engage refugees and host communities on household water treatment and safe storage (HWTSS) and responsible water usage practices
- select and design suitable sanitation and hygiene promotion strategies, in collaboration with other actors
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