Alarm as child refugees in Kenyan camps escalate further

In the heart of a sprawling refugee camp, where the sun blazed relentlessly, two children – Amina and Tariq (not their real names)—navigate a world stripped of innocence. 
Their laughter, once vibrant, now echoed faintly among the canvas tents and dusty paths. Abandoned by their parents amid the chaos of war, they clung to each other like lifelines.
Amina, just eight years old, wore a tattered dress that had once been bright red. Her dark eyes, though filled with fear, sparkled with a flicker of hope. She often spent her days searching for scraps of food, trading small stones with other children for a few bites of stale bread.
 Samir, a year younger, trailed behind her, his thin frame overshadowed by the weight of loss. Together, they scoured the camp for any sign of kindness—a smile, a shared morsel, a comforting word.
Each night, as the sky turned indigo, the siblings would huddle under a frayed blanket, whispering stories of their home in a village that seemed like a distant dream. They spoke of fields of sunflowers and the laughter of their mother, now silenced by absence. In the darkness, Amina would reassure Samir, telling him they would find their family again, even as doubt gnawed at her heart.
Life in the camp is brutal. Children fight over dwindling resources, and illness lurking in every corner. 
Yet, amid the suffering, Amina and Samir found moments of joy – a makeshift game of soccer with a worn-out ball, or the occasional visit from a volunteer who brought crayons and paper.
As the days turned into weeks, their bond grew stronger, forged in resilience. They were two souls adrift in a sea of despair, but together, they dare to dream of a future that is safe with family, and the simple joy of being children.
The distress and increasing number of cases of unaccompanied children living in Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps has forced humanitarian agencies to raise alarm.
Currently, the number is estimated to be around 10,000.
In June this year, over 3,000 new arrivals were recorded at the reception centers of both Kakuma and Kalobeyei where only 1,000 children were later reunited with their parents or relatives while the rest were placed in various forms of alternative care arrangements. During the same period, an additional 2,000 unaccompanied children were living in the Dadaab Refugee Complex.
According to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), Kakuma also hosts child-headed households, where unaccompanied children old enough to care for themselves are assisted to establish their respective households.
USCRI, which started operations in Kenya this year, said many children arrived in Kenya’s refugee camps unaccompanied or separated from their loved ones after fleeing war, becoming orphaned or being sent ahead by their parents to save their lives.
“As more children are forced to flee in search of safety, some of the most vulnerable are those who are unaccompanied or separated from their parents or care-givers,” the agency reported. “When children migrate unaccompanied, they face heightened risks of trafficking, exploitation, sexual and gender-based violence , and other abuses.
“Many younger children were naked or had little clothing and no shoes to protect them from the elements. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees staff emphasized the need for emergency support kits for children upon arrival, including sandals, underwear, and clothes.”
They highlighted how the lives of children held in the reception centers, whether alone or with their families, are in limbo.
“Reception centers are meant to be temporary while registrations are being processed. They do not contain the infrastructure for permanency or livelihoods. Although the government resumed registrations by 2024, a shortage of shelter materials kept cases pending and delayed,” they said in another publication – Recovering Childhood Addendum.
As of 25 January 2024, Kalobeyei Reception Centre alone hosted 7,357 people against its capacity of 5,475 and where 62% of the unsettled population was children.
The child-friendly spaces in both Kakuma and Kalobeyei reception centers have limited resources to cater for the surging numbers of displaced children.
“CFS are the few safe spaces where displaced children can just be children – play, socialize and receive care. However, play equipment is run down, materials for activities such as paper and crayons are scarce, and even the CFS structure at Kalobeyei’s Reception Centre is a temporary tent.” 
Statistics show that as of 31 July 2024, Kenya hosted 782,468 registered refugees and asylum-seekers with 291,979 (37.3%)residing in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, and 385,328 (49.3%) residing in Dadaab.
The remaining 13.4 % of the refugee and asylum-seeking population live in Kenya’s urban areas.
Further, USCRI cautioned that over 90,000 school-aged girls living in Kenyan refugee camps have no access to menstrual hygiene products.
“Although menstrual hygiene management is a global issue, the situation is increasingly dire for women and girls in displacement contexts, where such challenges are acute and exacerbate pre-existing vulnerabilities.” 
Additionally, the agency revealed how adult refugees were stuck at the Kakuma Reception Centre for over two years due to lack of shelter material.