Kakuma: Death, Injuries as Kenyan Police Clash with Refugees Over Food Rationing Plan
- A peaceful protest over food ration cuts at Kakuma Refugee Camp turned tragic after police opened fire, killing two refugees and injuring several others
- The demonstration was sparked by a new aid policy that excludes thousands from receiving food assistance
- Refugees are now demanding urgent intervention from the UNHCR and the international community to prevent a looming humanitarian disaster.
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What began as a peaceful demonstration over food aid reforms in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp turned deadly after clashes between refugees and police left two people dead and several others seriously injured.
Source: UGC
The protest, organised by refugees residing in Kakuma and Kalobeyei settlements, was in response to the enforcement of the Differentiated Assistance model and the Shirika Plan, introduced by the World Food Programme (WFP).
Details of Kakuma food aid cuts
A source told TUKO.co.ke that the controversial plan classifies refugees into four categories, with only Categories 1 and 2 receiving food baskets: 40% and 20% respectively.
Categories 3 and 4, which include a significant number of camp residents, will no longer receive food rations or access to key services.
“This is a death sentence for thousands,” said one refugee leader, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal. “We cannot farm because of climate change. There are no jobs. No funding. How are we expected to survive?”
According to eyewitnesses, the protest began peacefully in the morning, with demonstrators holding placards and chanting slogans demanding food equity and humane treatment.
How Kakuma Refugee Camp protest turned deadly
Tensions escalated when security forces attempted to disperse the crowd using tear gas and rubber bullets.
Some demonstrators retaliated by throwing stones, leading to a violent confrontation.
By afternoon, chaos had engulfed parts of the camp. Two demonstrators were fatally shot, and over a dozen others were treated for injuries. Several were reportedly arrested.
A petition dated July 19, 2025, signed by the Concerned Refugees of Kakuma Camps, Kalobeyei Settlement, and the Youth Leadership Association, was earlier submitted to the UNHCR and the international community.
It raised alarms over the new food rationing system, inadequate healthcare, water shortages, and what they called “forced integration measures” under the Shirika Plan.
Source: UGC
Refugees demand listening ear
Despite repeated appeals, refugees say their concerns were met with silence until today’s protests ended in bloodshed.
“This tragic loss of life could have been avoided had the international agencies listened to the refugees' pleas,” said a statement from a regional human rights watchdog.
As tensions remain high, refugees are calling on the UNHCR, WFP, and international partners to urgently reconsider the categorisation model and provide equitable food aid across all groups, especially for children and vulnerable populations at risk of malnutrition.
“This is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in plain sight,” said one organiser. “We are not just numbers in a system. We are people trying to survive.”
Refugees in Kakuma face food, water shortages
For the better part of 2025, hunger and desperation have gripped thousands of refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp since Donald Trump cut funding to USAID.
Families, many of whom fled war, have been going days without meals after the food aid was slashed to just 40% of the minimum ration.
With clean water also scarce and malnutrition rising, humanitarian groups have been calling for urgent intervention to prevent further suffering.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
