From Biometric Registration to Bloodshed: How Food Aid Cuts Sparked Deadly Protests in Kenya's Refugee Camps

While some refugees in Kalobeyei settlement were ready to go for biometric fingerprinting, and others were already inside the tent for biometric registration, a large number of both men and women from Kalobeyei settlement became highly agitated over the differentiated assistance categorization. They decided to block the roads and began fighting with Kenyan police who were maintaining order. 

Image: Differentiated Assistance Category2 card thrown away during the protest in Kalobeyei Settlement today July, 28 2025.

Due to pressure from the situation, leaders from both camps agreed not to collect food or undergo fingerprinting because they felt all refugees were not being given equal consideration. Some asked: "How can you put refugees in categories while others are depending on food rations?"People have been injured by live bullets, and one person was reported dead after being shot in the head with a live bullet. When he was taken to the Kenya Red Cross hospital in Kalobeyei Settlement, he had already succumbed to his injuries.

Image: A guy shot with a live bullets today.

The tension between refugees, Kenyan police forces, and the General Service Unit (GSU) is higher than during previous strikes. There has been a week of stakeholder meetings with leaders, UNHCR, WFP, and the Government of Kenya intervening on the issue of Differentiated Assistance, but with no agreement reached.Earlier this morning, tensions arose in Kakuma refugee camp, where students were sent back from school while taking exams for the final term. 

Image: A boy shot dead in Kalobeyei Settlement camp during the Differentiated Assistance protest. 

When I asked some parents in Kakuma about the same issue, one mother said, "I cannot send my children to school because after school there's nothing to eat." She added, "I am prepared to go back to South Sudan. It's better I die in my homeland than die of hunger in this refugee camp," she said with an alarming voice and traumatized expression.I moved to different corners across the camp, and some parents are against the idea of leaving children at home. One Ethiopian man said, "We should think about how to solve this issue through forums, but let our children finish their exams."

Image: The food Distribution Center set on fire by the protesters,  

some business shops remained closed this morning. Other people who wanted to go for biometric registration couldn't manage because they feared for their lives. Those who were at the Food Distribution Center went with police escort in Kakuma.

This Friday, August 1, 2025, in Kakuma refugee camp, refugees will undergo the same process of collecting food for categories one and two. Given the situation in Kalobeyei Settlement camp, we are concerned that due to the fact that the person who was killed is from South Sudan, there could be a worse situation. We therefore ask the Government of Kenya, Kenya Police, GSU, UNHCR, and WFP for preventative action and emergency multi-stakeholder responses. "Prevention is better than cure; refugee lives matter." 

The World Refugee Day theme for 2013 and 2014 was "One family torn apart by war is too many". This theme highlights the devastating impact of conflict on families and emphasizes the importance of providing safety and support to those forced to flee their homes. But due to the dire situation, killings, violence, and use of force against refugees, refugees now say "one refugee killed is too many."

Recommendations: If the food is not enough for all refugees, why not stop food distribution for a month and collect more to be able to distribute it in the next month so that everyone gets it? This was one of the responses from leaders

References: 

1. Refugee protection inhumane conditions in Kakuma Refugee Camp

2. The Canary, Kakuma Refugee Camp, Strike

3. Catholic Radio, Protest over food aid cuts

Water scarcity in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya

Image: Kakuma Refugee Camp, Gabriel Bugoma Jibril Photographer 

Eighty percent of agribusiness women surveyed identified water shortage as a critical challenge. Access to traditional water sources like rivers (laga) has become unsafe due to security concerns including violence and theft. Women reported: “We can’t go to the river, it’s either you lose your life, being raped or cut into pieces by gangsters.” Dependence on boreholes that provide water only once a day, with some parts receiving water once every two days, means that when there's a shortage, it can go up to five days to weeks without water, combined with lack of storage containers, severely limits agricultural activities.

In Kakuma refugee camp, water scarcity has become another major challenge, as people in some areas are breaking the pipelines that supply water to different camp locations. Due to budget constraints, Peace Winds Japan's Kakuma field office under WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) has decided to reduce the normal water supply hours by one hour at the community level. 

This year, due to budget constraints, refugees organized demonstrations in a peaceful protest demanding access to food, water, and shelter. The protest turned violent when Kenyan police intervened with live ammunition and tear gas, resulting in several people being injured and at least four people shot.

Reports indicate that protests erupted over food and water shortages, with deteriorating conditions caused by reduced humanitarian aid following funding cuts.

This has created many problems for households who have been unable to fetch water for several days. Some pipes located on upper floors are not receiving enough water, forcing some neighborhoods to travel five to six hundred meters to access water. Several boreholes are currently not operational, and the seasonal river (laga) has washed away more than hundreds of meters of pipes that were supporting some blocks. These challenges are also affecting the "mama mboga" (vegetable vendors) who cultivate and provide vegetable foods in the markets, creating alarming conditions as they cry for help.

This crisis coincides with Kakuma refugee camp experiencing another program that has raised critical issues: differentiated assistance, which categorizes refugees into different groups. Those in categories 3 and 4 will not receive any food assistance. 

People are now asking: "Without water and food, how do these humanitarian agencies expect us to live in this arid zone?”

The implementation of the Differentiated Assistance Framework continues to face resource constraints, requiring adjustments to the originally planned rollout timeline of May 2025. These constraints have impacted food rations, services, and livelihood investments under the Framework. World Food Programme  (WFP) remains engaged with the Government and key stakeholders to refine timelines and implementation strategies.