Kakuma refugee camp
Thousands of refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp took to the streets in protest this today, demanding urgent action over severe food and water shortage.
The demonstrations follow recent reductions in humanitarian aid, largely due to funding cuts from the United States Agency for International Development UNHCR, a key donor to refugee programs in Kenya.
According to residents, conditions in the camp have deteriorated significantly, with many struggling to access basic necessities.
“We are refugees not by choice, but by the cruelty of war. We left our homes not because we wanted to, but because the sound of guns and bombs chased us away. Our lands were once full of life, laughter, and dreams — but war turned them into graves and ashes.
When we had nowhere to run, Kakuma Refugee Camp opened its doors for us. It became our new home — a place where broken hearts were slowly mended. For decades, this camp has been our shelter, raising great men and women of integrity. Many families found hope through the programs of the UNHCR, traveling abroad to seek a better future. If there’s a language spoken by the UNHCR, it is the language of PEACE — a language we have always embraced. Day and night, we pray for peace to find us again.
But what happens when even the shelter becomes a place of suffering? Recently, Kakuma Camp has been struggling with a lack of water and food — the most basic needs of human life. We did not ask for luxury, we only asked for survival — just enough water to quench our thirst, just enough food to silence our hunger. Instead of answers, we were met with live bullets. Innocent lives were lost, and many were injured — not because they committed a crime, but because they asked to be treated like human beings.
What have we done wrong, God?
Is it a crime to be a refugee?
Do we not deserve to be happy?
Our homes were destroyed by war, our government abandoned us, and now the host country turns against us.
Where should we go?
What can we do?
We are human beings, not criminals. We bleed the same blood, we feel the same pain, and we deserve the same respect. Nobody chooses to be a refugee — but fate chose this life for us. Is asking for water and food a reason to kill us?
Our hearts are heavy, our spirits are broken, but we will not stop praying for peace. We have no weapons — our only weapon is HOPE. Our only crime is being born in the wrong place at the wrong time.
To the world, we are crying out:
REFUGEES ARE HUMAN TOO
REFUGEES DESERVE RESPECT
REFUGEES DESERVE PEACE
If the world has forgotten us, we ask God not to forget us. Let the blood of the innocent speak to the heavens. Let the tears of the hungry reach the hearts of those in power.
We did not come to Kakuma to die? We came here to live.”
