Kakuma (Kenya) : a dozen refugees injured during the march for drinking water

Since last Friday, the Kakuma camp in Kenya has been the scene of refugees’ protests. On Monday, several dozen refugees marched to the UNHCR office. They were demanding the supply of drinking water while the camp has just spent more than a month without this vital commodity. The police used force to disperse them. Several of them were injured.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

All activities were paralyzed on Monday at the Kakuma camp and its extension in Kalobeyei, in the northwest of Kenya. Offices of humanitarian NGOs and schools remained closed. The distribution of the March ration was also disrupted and temporarily interrupted by the refugee protest.

It all started last Friday. This was first an impromptu march that brought together all the communities in this camp. Even though the situation had calmed down over the weekend, on Monday the movement resumed, this time with force and violence. Sources on the ground indicate that even stones were thrown at police officers who were trying to contain the movement.

The latter then used force, seriously injuring about ten refugees, “some by live ammunition, others by jostling”. They were admitted to the central hospital of the camp.

Even if the UNHCR continues to promise refugees a favorable outcome, they do not hope that a lasting solution is possible. On Monday evening, Kenyan authorities announced a curfew (between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.) in the Kakuma camp located in the northwest of Kenya as well as in its extension of Kalobeyei, until further notice.

The Kakuma camp hosts more than 200,000 refugees, including more than 25,000 Burundians. Other occupants of this camp come mainly from South Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia and Somalia.

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A refugee lying in bed at the hospital in Kakuma camp in northwestern Kenya after being shot by Kenyan police officers, March 3, 2025 (SOS Médias Burundi)