On November 21, 2018, the World Bank released Sh10 billion for counties that host refugees along Kenya’s borders, in a move the government said would ease pressure on overstretched local communities.
Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa said the money was meant to support areas affected by large refugee populations, especially Kakuma and Dadaab. He made the remarks in Lodwar, Turkana county, while launching the Kenya Development Response to Displacement Impact Project.
Wamalwa said host communities had long carried the burden of accommodating refugees from neighbouring countries including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo and Somalia. He said the funding would go toward health care, food security and access to water for both refugees and the communities living around the camps.
Turkana, which hosts Kakuma camp, is set to receive Sh3.2 billion. Wamalwa said the project would help address the imbalance in access to water, noting that refugees at Kakuma had clean water for domestic use while some host residents did not.
He said the intervention would prioritise the host community through irrigation schemes and improvements in water, health and food security.
Turkana West MP Daniel Nanok welcomed the allocation and said the host community had faced many challenges. He added that the Sh3.2 billion set aside for Kakuma Refugee Camp was expected to benefit the wider Turkana West area.
