Kenya getting 20 refugees daily as South Sudan crisis escalates: Mudavadi

Kenya is receiving an average of 20 refugees daily as the crisis in neighbouring South Sudan escalates, Prime Cabinet Secretary (CS) and CS for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi told Senate on Wednesday.

Warning of a possible humanitarian crisis, Mudavadi noted that the situation is piling pressure on the already overstretched Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in Garissa and Turkana, respectively.

“We have had refugees who have stayed in these camps for as many as 39 years. Some were born there while others have no idea where their parents emigrated from,” Mudavadi told senators.

“We have begun seeing an inflow of 20 refugees a day.”

Dadaab, Kenya’s largest refugee camp, hosted 423,674 refugees and asylum seekers as of February 2025, while Kakuma had 302,372, per the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.

Mudavadi said that with the increase, Kenya cannot sustain the camps without more foreign aid and humanitarian assistance.

“We do not want to enter a program fully funded by the Kenyan government. We can only handle the situation in the context of international obligations; institutions like UNHCR and the UN-WFP (World Food Program) will be urged to be more productive so that Kenya’s resources are not fully deployed for that,” he said.

The minister said Kenya’s bid to transform refugee camps into integrated settlements through the ‘Shirika Plan’ will alleviate the situation.

“We want to transition from a situation where refugees only draw Kenya’s resources. They must also be put in a situation where they are contributing to this country’s economic growth,” said Mudavadi.

Mudavadi’s call comes as refugees face tougher times in Kenyan camps amid funding problems, which have caused food and supplies rationing.

Early last month, refugees in Kakuma clashed with police over the slashing of food supplies in the wake of the recent U.S. aid freeze, which has wiped out about half of WFP’s budget.

The aid agency last week also warned of an "unprecedented crisis" as it faces a 40 percent funding drop this year.