A new report has revealed that the terror threat in Kenya is being fueled by a collapsing humanitarian system and worsening conditions for refugees hosted largely in the northern parts of the country.
According to the NGO Refugee Group (NRG), extremist groups like Al-Shabaab continue to thrive in camps such as Dadaab and Kakuma camps due to several factors, including the thinning number of security personnel in the areas brought about by the recent U.S. aid cuts.
The group's mid-year survey, involving 10 partner organisations and 116 refugees, painted a bleak picture of life in camps amid the ongoing U.S. funding cuts and the rollout of Differentiated Assistance (DA).
According to the report, the funding shortfall fell in the region of around Ksh2.5 billion (USD2 million), and could be higher since some organisations failed to submit complete data.
Since the funding cuts, basic standards have deteriorated to alarming levels, with water consumption dropping below emergency levels. The report estimates that at the Dadaab refugee camp, only about 10 litres are received per day for the whole camp.
Schools are still overcrowded, teachers have been cut, and safety and security initiatives have been halted.
As far as security is concerned, in Dabaad, where Al-Shabaab is known to be active, and to the shock of residents, police escorts are now limited to just three days a week.
Worse still, the officers operate with only five hours of electricity daily, with the high cost of flights restricting staff movement between Nairobi and the camps.
This dynamic makes security a dire issue in the camps, allowing extremist groups to freely exist and thrive among suffering locals.
Because of the financial shortfall, the report highlights humanitarian organisations' plight, since they have been forced to intervene to absorb extra costs and responsibilities.
The report emerged barely a week after the United Kingdom issued a travel advisory, warning its citizens against travelling to some parts of Kenya due to terrorism, banditry and kidnappings.
In their alert, the UK claimed there was a heightened risk of terrorism from groups based in Somalia, like Al Shabaab and other related militia groups.
