The Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and Pacific regions of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), Andrea Koulaimah, is visiting Kenya between 17-19 March 2022, focusing on the catastrophic drought affecting the Horn of Africa and the Kenyan Refugee response.

The visit represents an opportunity for Director Koulaimah to see first-hand the devastating impact of the drought in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL). She will be accompanied by the Head of Delegation of the European Union to Kenya, Ms Henriette Geiger and by the Head of Regional Hub for East Africa of the European Investment Bank, Mr Paolo Lombardo. During her field visit, Director Koulaimah met and discussed with local communities in Turkana, northern Kenya, and expressed the European Union’s concern about the drought. Director Koulaimah also followed-up on the operations of the Kenya Cash Consortium, currently funded by the European Commission, and providing some relief to all those struggling to have access to food and water.

“After three consecutive failed rain seasons, the social and economic consequences of COVID-19 and the locust desert pest, families have exhausted all their resources. Farmers, herders, but also women, children, and in particular girls, are forced to walk long distances in search for water,” Director Koulaimah said.  “The drought is resulting in alarming levels of food and nutrition insecurity.”

The group also visited a refugee camp in Kakuma, notably the registration centre managed by the UNHCR and the Refugee Affairs Secretariat as well as a health facility, where primary and secondary health care, including covid-19 vaccination, is provided to refugees and host communities with the support of the International Rescue Committee (IRC). UNHCR and IRC are among the many partners funded by the EU ensuring the provision of basic lifesaving services to refugees in Kenya, dependent on humanitarian aid. The visit also provided an opportunity to look into durable solutions and the integration of refugees into local host communities and services.

At the end of 2021, the EU allocated €21.5 million in additional humanitarian funding to the Horn of Africa, including EUR 3 million for Kenya, to help the region fight off what is rapidly becoming its worst drought in decades, already affecting millions of people. This was augmented by €13 million allocated to Kenya as part of the EU’s humanitarian aid funding for 2022. In Kenya, this humanitarian aid will be used, inter alia, to support basic survival services (food assistance, health, nutrition, protection and education) for refugees and asylum seekers living in camps, with particular attention to those more vulnerable like unaccompanied minors, children living with disability and undocumented refugees. Humanitarian assistance will also aim at enhancing the protection of refugees, asylum seekers (including undocumented) as well as compliance with International Refugee Law.

The EU Ambassador to Kenya, H.E Henriette Geiger noted “The EU is a long-standing partner of Kenya, proud to support drought preparedness and response operations as well as Kenya's refugee-hosting counties. Our mission was important as is shows our commitment to harmonizing humanitarian and longer-term development aid, in the spirit of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus." 

Over the past decade, the EU has invested over €60 million through the Kenyan Government agency the National Drought Management Authority for drought preparedness, response and recovery. The Drought Contingency Fund is part of this response and has made available over € four million (Ksh 500 million) in the current drought season through the Government of Kenya. The EU has also provided development support of over €50 million in the past six years to Kenya's efforts in hosting around half a million refugees.