East Africa & Great Lakes
Kenya
DRC has been operational in Kenya since 2005 and is one of the United Nations Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) largest implementing partners in the refugee response. DRC is present in Garissa (Dadaab & Garissa), Isiolo, Nairobi Urban (Eastleigh), Mandera, Marsabit and Turkana (Kakuma, Kalobeyei and Lodwar) counties. Kenya hosts a population of 612,413 refugees and asylum seekers, predominantly of Somali and South Sudanese origin. The vast majority reside in Dadaab, Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps, with around 94,417 living in Nairobi and other urban towns.
Rose Mwelu
Current situation
The country’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) are experiencing severe drought due to four consecutive failed rainfall seasons. This has affected the food security of 4.5 million people among which, 1 million are children who are acutely malnourished.
Acute malnutrition has been noted among children below five years and pregnant and lactating women across the counties. At least 1.5 million cattle, which pastoralist communities rely on for livelihoods, have perished.
3.3 million people cannot access enough water for drinking, cooking and cleaning as many water points have dried up, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases and infections. Families are forced to prioritize drinking and cooking over hygiene.
The drought has had a severe impact on women and children, increasing the risk of gender-based violence and child marriages, while hindering children’s access to education. 1.2 million children are at risk of dropping out of school due to migration, school closure and sickness.
Core sectors Kenya
Displacement trends
Source: | UNHCR
DocumentsAll Documents
Joint statement - NGOs call out climate injustice and urge global donors to fully fund the humanitarian response in the Horn of Africa now
22 May 2023
Multi-agency call for global action to respond to the multi-faceted crisis in the Horn of Africa
14 Dec 2022
Why we are there
DRC Kenya has a wide range of humanitarian, development and peace-building programs that enable the operation to be delivered across the ‘triple nexus’ which is the overarching programme strategy for the period 2022-2025.
In Kenya, displacement is complex and protracted across different situations (South Sudan, Somalia and Great Lakes) necessitating implementation across the humanitarian – development – peace nexus.
This targets IDPs, refugees, host communities and those engaged in mixed migration.
DRC’s focus extends to promoting Durable Solutions, which is linked to the commitments under the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), and further towards strengthening our work with and through local partners.
What we do
DRC's activities in Kenya include livelihoods and economic recovery, voluntary repatriation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), humanitarian disarmament, child protection and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) programming in refugee camps and communities.
DRC is also the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI+) refugee protection lead.
In response to the ongoing drought in the country, DRC is supporting extremely vulnerable households in the Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) region of Kenya with Multi-Purpose Cash Transfers.
We prioritize remote and insecure locations that other actors are not able to reach.
DRC is additionally rehabilitating strategic boreholes in livestock concentration areas, as well as supporting livestock vaccination and treatment, to protect pastoralists’ livelihoods and improve access to fresh milk.
Working in collaboration with
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development
UNHCR
UNICEF
World Agroforestry Centre
World University Service of Canada
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Water fund
Contact
James
Curtis
Executive Director East Africa & Great Lakes
Simon
Nzioka
Country Director