Norwegian Refugee Council’s
Country programme in Kenya
People escaping war and conflict seek refuge in Kenya, home to
the world’s largest refugee camp. NRC is on the ground, assisting
them.
Our impact
In 2016 NRC reached
377.213
We promote rights and durable solutions to
refugees and internally displaced persons in
Kenya. NRC provides humanitarian assistance,
restore livelihoods for displacement affected
population, and promote voluntary and dignified
return for Somali refugees in Kenya
Individuals, with education, food security,
shelter, ICLA and WASH.
Budget: 2016 100 M NOK | 2015 80.7 M NOK
Donor: UNHCR, NMFA, ECHO, SIDA, DFID, SIDA,
UNICEF, EU, BPRM, TELETHON
International staff: 7
National staff: 258 (1123 incentive staff)
NRC is currently supporting displacement affected
populations in Kenya, Dadaab and Mandera. We
have assisted a total of 377,213 people in Kenya
through, water supply, sanitation and hygiene,
education, shelter and information counselling and
legal assistance. In December (2016), a total of
36,669 Individuals have been repatriated to
Somalia since the start of the Voluntary return
programme.
Established: 2007
www.nrc.no
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Photo: [NRC/Photographers name]
FACT SHEET
Dec 2016
Areas of operation: Dadaab
(Garissa County) Kakuma
(Turkana County) Mandera
(Mandera County)
Country office: Nairobi
Humanitarian and political
background
communities.
Kenyans displaced by climate and conflict
While there are no official or up-to-date figures on
internal displacement in Kenya, violence following
the election in 2007-2008 displaced 50,000
Kenyan nationals inside the country.
Kenya is hosting close to 600,000 refugees and
asylum seekers in the Dadaab and Kakuma
refugee camps, as well as in urban areas. The
majority (over 400,000) are Somali, displaced
either during the collapse of the Somali state in the
early ‘90s, or more recently because of drought. In
late 2013, conflict in South Sudan led to a rise of
South Sudanese refugees in Kenya, which had
until then been in decline.
In total, around 300,000 people fled the conflict,
settling in urban areas. In February 2016, the
government announced that all households who
had been displaced after the election have now
been resettled. However, inter-communal conflict
has affected the north Rift Valley and the country's
northeastern regions, with over 200,000 people
displaced.
Currently, over 100,000 South Sudanese refugees
reside in Kenya, most of them in Kakuma. Others
are from Ethiopia and the DR Congo. The recent
conflict in Burundi has also led to an increase of
asylum seekers.
Kenya faces recurrent drought, disease,
malnutrition and food insecurity. It also
experiences inter-communal conflicts over
resources. While categorised as a lower middleincome country with social and economic
development, pockets of the country are
susceptible to shocks.
UNHCR, the National Government, the County
Government of Turkana and the host community
have agreed to relieve pressure on Kakuma camps
with a new settlement in Kalobeyei, where
refugees share services, with the host
Contact:
Country office: Nairobi
Address: El molo, Nairobi
Country director: Neil Turner
Phone: +254 20 4348246/7
E-mail: [email protected]
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
Here in these pockets, highly vulnerable refugees
and host communities are in need of humanitarian
assistance. They often live in arid and semi-arid
lands and insecure areas, particularly along
borders.

Make sure out-of-school children and
youth can catch up to their peers, through
Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP)
and Youth Education Pack (YEP).
Encourage girls to continue their
education.
Intention to close the refugee camps
Food security
In November 2013, UNHCR, Kenya and Somalia
signed a Tripartite Agreement. This legal framework NRC distributes food and food vouchers to people
provides for the safe and dignified voluntary
affected by displacement. In our work for food
repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya, as well security, we:
as their reintegration in Somalia.
 Distribute food provided by the World Food
However, following the growth of terrorist cells and
Programme (WFP).
several attacks in the country, there has been
 Provide cash transfers to promote
political pressure to return refugees in Kenya to
livelihood recovery.
their country of origin. In May 2016, the
 Train people in business management and
government announced that their refugee affairs
development, supporting them to improve
department will be disbanded, and that they intend
their livelihoods.
to close Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp.
Information, counselling and legal
assistance (ICLA)
In November 2016, the Kenya government
delayed the closure of Dadaab refugee camp by six
months following calls by the international
community worried about the protection of the
refugees. The closure of the camp are now planned
for May 2017 and the government plans to roll out
a comprehensive repatriation programme from
December 2016.
NRC provides Somali refugees in Dadaab and
Kakuma with information and counselling, and
assists them in returning voluntarily and safely to
Somalia. NRC also implements ICLA activities to
assist the internally displaced population in
Mandera, with an emphasis on access to housing,
land and property rights and civil documentation.
Through our ICLA activities, we:

NRC activities in the field
NRC helps refugees and internally displaced
people in Kenya's camps access clean water, food,
education, and shelter, and helps them exercise
their rights.

Education


We provide basic quality education to displaced
children and youth, and tailored programmes for
those who have missed out on school. Our
education activities:

Provide children and youth with literacy,
numeracy and vocational skills.
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Run the return help desks in Dadaab
camp, together with UNHCR and Kenyan
authorities.
Advocate for safe, voluntary and dignified
returns.
Gather information on which areas are
safe to return to, and share it with Somali
refugees planning to return.
Provide information, counselling and legal
assistance on how to access housing, land
and property rights and civil
documentation, and training on how to
resolve land disputes through
collaborative dispute resolution.
Shelter
To ensure safety and dignity for people forced to
flee, we construct temporary shelters and conduct
renovations. We also repair existing shelters in
camps. Through our shelter activities, we:



Construct and renovate classrooms.
Provide shelter materials.
Provide tailored training to beneficiaries
on shelter construction
Water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH)
Water is a human right. Access to clean water and
sanitation can save lives and reduce the risk of
disease. Providing life-saving assistance, NRC
develops infrastructure, treats water, constructs
latrines, manages waste, and runs hygiene
awareness campaigns. Our WASH teams work to:



Facilitate access to clean water and
latrines.
Reduce mortality.
Raise hygiene awareness.
www.nrc.no
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