Kakuma Refugee Camp Faces Severe Water Crisis as Taps Run Dry for Days
Kakuma, 29 March 2026
Kenya’s largest refugee settlement is experiencing a critical water shortage that has left entire communities without access to taps for days at a time. Women, who bear primary responsibility for water collection, are forced to travel kilometres or purchase water from informal traders at inflated prices of 50 Kenyan shillings per 20 litres. The crisis, which began intensifying in July 2021, has created dangerous competition between different refugee communities, with daily violence now reported at water collection points. Community leaders warn that the prolonged scarcity could escalate into serious inter-communal conflicts as hundreds of thousands of refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia compete for increasingly limited water resources in temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.
Water Rationing System Collapses Amid Infrastructure Failures
The water crisis at Kakuma has fundamentally disrupted the camp’s established distribution system that previously provided water twice daily to most communities [1]. According to Zerihun Lemma, a 65-year-old community leader in Kakuma 3, before the crisis struck in July 2021, water was rationed between 7:00 am and 9:00 am in the morning, then again during lunch hour between 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm [1]. This system has now collapsed entirely in many areas, forcing refugees to seek alternative sources. The breakdown occurs against the backdrop of extreme weather conditions, with temperatures in Kakuma typically exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, and reaching 38 degrees Celsius during the hottest months from January to March [1]. The timing of the crisis is particularly challenging as it coincides with the camp’s dry season, when the short rainy period from November to December has passed and the long rainy season from mid-March to June has not yet begun [1].
Economic Impact Creates Multi-Tiered Water Market
The water shortage has created an informal economy where refugees must purchase water at prices that vary significantly based on their community and location within the camp [1]. Halima Aden, a resident of Kakuma 1, Zone 1, Block 5, reports a three-month water shortage that forces her community to buy from local vendors who sell at 50 Kenyan shillings per 20-litre jerrycan [1]. However, a complex pricing structure has emerged that reflects underlying tensions between different refugee communities. Host community members sell water to Kakuma 1 refugees at 50 Kenyan shillings per 20 litres, whilst Ethiopian and Somali communities can purchase the same quantity for just 20 Kenyan shillings [1]. This pricing disparity, representing a 150 per cent markup for certain communities, has created additional stress in an already volatile situation. Some women in Kakuma 1 have adapted by becoming water traders themselves, earning between 300-400 Kenyan shillings daily, though this income source is becoming increasingly unstable [1].
Daily Violence Erupts at Water Collection Points
The competition for limited water resources has escalated into regular violence at water distribution sites across the camp [1]. Andersen, a community leader in Kakuma 3, reports that ‘the violence is now a daily routine at water palaces in most places of Kakuma 3’ [1]. These confrontations stem from the combination of water shortages, rationing systems, and underlying infrastructural problems that have created a perfect storm for inter-communal tensions [1]. The situation is particularly acute in high-density areas like Kakuma 1, where the concentration of refugees intensifies competition for any available water sources [1]. The violence represents a dangerous escalation that threatens the stability of one of Kenya’s largest refugee settlements, which houses hundreds of thousands of people from multiple nations including South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia [GPT].
Women Bear Disproportionate Burden of Water Crisis
Women refugees face the most severe impacts of the water crisis, as cultural norms place primary responsibility for water collection on them [1]. The current situation forces women to travel miles in search of water, a burden that has intensified significantly since the crisis began in July 2021 [1]. Regina, a mother of seven, exemplifies the economic desperation created by the water shortage - she can no longer generate income by selling water and has resorted to selling personal valuables to survive [1]. The crisis violates international humanitarian standards, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recommends a minimum of 20 litres of water per person per day [1]. The current water shortage has created conditions where refugees must choose between essential needs, with some forced to reduce water consumption below safe levels whilst others exhaust their limited resources purchasing water from informal traders at inflated prices [1].