Kenya’s March–May long rains triggered a humanitarian crisis, displacing over 18,000 people and fueling disease outbreaks, including cholera and visceral leishmaniasis. Last month, official reports showed that over 73,000 had been affected by the floods. The hardest-hit counties like Tana River, Isiolo, Homa Bay and Turkana have seen widespread destruction of infrastructure, homes, crops and livestock. At least 23 people have died.

The EU funding is bolstering the efforts of the Kenya Red Cross Society in delivering much-needed relief including search and rescue operations, multi-purpose cash assistance, shelter, clean water, and health and sanitation support to people residing in affected locations, focusing on displaced families, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. 

The emergency response project is running for six months, until the end of November 2025. The 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). 

The 2025 floods were among the most destructive in recent years, exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities on already fragile communities. There is an urgent need to scale up interventions and deliver life-saving assistance to the most affected communities to prevent further disease outbreaks, reduce mortality and support the recovery of vulnerable populations.

ECHO Nairobi

Background

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all 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 man-made crises. 

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The European Union is signatory to a €12 million humanitarian delegation 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 delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €12 million.