Kakuma (Kenya) : cholera outbreak in the refugee camp

SOS Médias Burundi

Kakuma, November 21, 2025 – More than fifty cases of cholera have been recorded in just a few days in the sprawling Kakuma camp and its extension, Kalobeyei, in northwestern Kenya. Health facilities are trying to contain the spread, but the lack of clean water, which has persisted for nearly six months, raises fears of a rapid deterioration of the situation.

The hardest-affected areas : Kalobeyei on the front line

The most affected area is Kalobeyei, the extension of the Kakuma camp.

The Village I hospital there already has more than fifteen cases, according to a local source.

Even the Village II clinic, not usually intended for hospitalized patients, has now been requisitioned to treat cholera patients.

In Kakuma, several facilities are overwhelmed

In the main camp, the central hospital in Village VII and the clinic in Village VI have been designated to treat patients.

Medical teams link the outbreak of the disease to the persistent lack of drinking water.

“We are demanding the repair of broken or worn-out taps and the installation of new water points,” they insist, echoing the refugees’ complaints.

Urgent awareness campaign… but insufficient without water

Community mobilizers are traveling through the villages and blocks to remind people of hygiene rules.

But everyone fears that the lack of drinking water will continue to worsen the situation, limiting the effectiveness of prevention efforts.

Seasonal rains complicate the situation

The first rains, very heavy this year, are hitting this desert region of northwestern Kenya hard.

Heavy rainfall in Uganda, which flows into Kenya, also increases the risk of contamination from runoff.

An overcrowded and vulnerable camp

Kakuma and its extension, Kalobeyei, currently host more than 250,000 refugees, including approximately 25,000 Burundians, making health interventions all the more essential and complex.