EU Allocates €250,000 in Aid to Support Families in Kenya affected by worsening humanitarian crises

Over 1.8 million people are currently facing acute food insecurity, with projections rising to 2.1 million by January 2026. Water sources are shrinking, malnutrition is increasing and humanitarian funding continues to decline. The EU’s emergency contribution will enable the Kenya Red Cross Society to provide essential food assistance, clean water, cash support, healthcare and protection services to the most affected communities.

The six-month project, running until the end of May 2026, is expected to support more than 150,000 vulnerable people affected by the converging crises. This funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Kenya is facing a severe humanitarian crisis as drought, floods, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks overlap, putting vulnerable communities at heightened risk. Consecutive failed rains have left 179,000 people in emergency conditions and placed 741,000 children and 109,000 pregnant or lactating women at risk of acute malnutrition, while recent heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides, destroying homes and livelihoods. With food insecurity rising and humanitarian funding declining, communities are increasingly exposed and in urgent need of support. Cholera is spreading rapidly in Narok and Nairobi counties, with a 9% case fatality rate reported in Narok, while communities in the arid and semi-arid lands remain at high risk of other waterborne and zoonotic diseases. These health threats, combined with shrinking humanitarian resources, are further straining essential food, nutrition, and health programs and leaving vulnerable families increasingly exposed.

Background

The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and human-made crises.

Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. Headquartered in Brussels and with a global network of field offices, the EU assists to the most vulnerable people, based on humanitarian needs.

The European Commission has signed a €16 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €16 million.