Over 720,000 refugees in Kenya face deepening food insecurity as the World Food Programme (WFP) warns of a severe funding crisis, forcing the agency to slash food rations and suspend all cash assistance from June.
The cuts mark the lowest levels of assistance ever provided to refugees in Kenya. Food rations will drop to just 28 percent of the recommended daily caloric intake, down from the 40 percent distributed earlier this year. The move comes as WFP struggles to meet growing demand amid limited donor funding.
Kenya is home to more than 843,000 refugees and asylum seekers, up from around 500,000 five years ago, driven by ongoing conflict and climate-related displacement in neighbouring countries such as Somalia and South Sudan.
"With available resources stretched to their limits, we have had to make the difficult decision to again reduce food assistance," said Baimankay Sankoh, WFP's Deputy Country Director in Kenya.
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"This will have a serious impact on vulnerable refugees, increasing the risk of hunger and malnutrition."
WFP ended nutrition programmes for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children in late 2024, citing a lack of funds.
Malnutrition remains a major concern, with Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates exceeding 13 percent in refugee camps -- well above the 10 percent emergency threshold.
In partnership with the UNHCR and Kenya's Department of Refugee Services, WFP has provided monthly food assistance in Dadaab, Kakuma, and Kalobeyei.
The agency has been adjusting rations regularly in response to funding levels, but warns the current reduction could push more households into crisis.
WFP is also supporting efforts to build self-reliance among refugees through small-scale farming, irrigation infrastructure, and food market development. However, these initiatives are not sufficient to offset the immediate shortfall in basic food access.
The agency is appealing for $44 million in urgent funding to restore full food rations and resume cash transfers through August.
Without new funding, WFP says refugees may be forced to take drastic steps such as selling personal belongings, pulling children out of school, or returning to insecure regions in their home countries.
