https://www.unhcr.org/ke/kakuma-refugee-camp
Population (2015): 184,550
Established or recognized in: 1992
Occupants primarily from: South Sudan, Somalia
Type: planned/managed camp
Kakuma refugee camp, in northwestern Kenya, is the largest refugee camp in the world. Established in 1992, the camp is jointly managed by the Kenyan Department of Refugee Affairs and UNHCR. Today, Kakuma is home to some 100,000 South Sudanese and 55,000 Somali refugees, most of whom were driven from their homelands by civil war. But the camp also hosts refugees from nearly 20 other countries.
Conditions in Kakuma are grave, as donor support has waned in recent years. The camp’s resources and infrastructure are overtaxed, and occupants have scant opportunities for gainful employment or education. Malnutrition is rampant throughout the camp—especially among younger occupants—and overcrowding has accelerated the spread of infectious diseases. Despite all these factors, however, many residents remain optimistic about their futures. Driven by ambition, the students in Kakuma regularly outperform the Kenyan national averages, in a testament their persistence and diligence in the face of great adversity.
UNHCR Sub-Office Kakuma has two areas of operation; Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement. Kakuma Camp is divided into four namely: Kakuma 1, 2, 3 and 4 while Kalobeyei Settlement comprises of 3 villages: Village 1, 2 and 3.
Kakuma refugee camp is located in the North-western region of Kenya. The camp was established in 1992 following the arrival of the “Lost Boys of Sudan”. During that year, large groups of Ethiopian refugees fled their country following the fall of the Ethiopian government. Somalia had also experienced high insecurity and civil strife causing people to flee.
The camp is located on the outskirts of Kakuma town, which is the headquarters for Turkana West District of Turkana County. Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement had a population of 194,194 registered refugees and asylum-seekers at the end of February 2020.
With an influx of new arrivals in 2014, Kakuma surpassed its capacity by over 58,000 individuals, leading to congestion in various sections. Following negotiations between UNHCR, the National Government, the County Government of Turkana and the host community, land for a new settlement was identified in Kalobeyei, 20km from Kakuma town.
You can access all the South Sudan Situation Situation updates on our data portal.
Click here to read the Briefing Kit on the Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement.
Information for journalists, film-makers and researchers visiting Kakuma Refugee Camp
Journalists, researchers, scholars and film-makers intending to visit refugee camps in Kenya are required to obtain a letter of approval from the government of Kenya.