A Growing Humanitarian Emergency
Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps in northwestern Kenya are home to hundreds of thousands of refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Brundi, Congo and many other countries. For years, the international support has helped to provide food, education and healthcare for these refugee camps.
But in recent years, the situation has changed. Budget cuts under former U.S President Donald Trump did not only reduce food assistance but also weakened health facilities inside the camps. This has left thousands of vulnerable refugees at risk.
The Role of the United States in Refugee Aid
For decades , the United States has been one of the biggest supporters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Program (WFP). These organizations provide food, shelter and medical services to refugees in Kenya.
When the U.S government reduces its contribution, the impact is felt immediately. For Kakuma refugees and Kalobeyei Settlement, Trump’s budget cuts meant that funding for hospitals, clinics and medicine dropped sharply, creating a healthcare crisis for already struggling families.
Health Challenges Before the Budget Cuts
Even before the cuts, refugees in Kakuma and Kalobeyei faced serious health challenges.
• Overcrowded clinics with long waiting times.
•Shortage of medicines for common illnesses like malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea.
•Few doctors and nurses compared to the large population.
• Limited maternal health care, leading to high risks during pregnancy and childbirth.
• Mental health problems from trauma and stress, often ignored due to lack of resources.
The camps were surviving with minimum support, but the U.S cuts pushed the system beyond its limits.
How Trump’s Cuts Affected Health Facilities
When the Trump administration reduced funding, the impact was immediate and painful.
- Medicine Shortages
Essential drugs become harder to find.
Refugees needing treatment for malaria, HIV or tuberculosis often went home without medicine.
2. Staff Reductions
Many health workers lost jobs or had their contracts shortened. With fewer nurses and doctors, patients had to wait for hours, sometimes even days.
3. Emergency Care Crisis
Emergency rooms struggled to respond to accidents, childbirth complications, and outbreaks of diseases like cholera.
4. Mental Health Ignored
Counseling programs and psychosocial support for refugees who suffered war trauma were cut down. Many refugees were left alone to battle depression, anxiety and stress.
Voices from the Camps
Many refugees have spoken out about the worsening situation.
• ” Before, at least we could get medicine for children. Now, we come and wait, only to be told there is nothing left,” says a south Sudanese mother in Kakuma.
• “People are sick, but the clinic is too crowded. If you don’t come early in the morning, you may not see a doctor,” reports an Ethiopian refugee in Kalobeyei.
These voices show the daily struggle of refugees whose lives depend on international aid.
The Impact on Children and Mothers
Children are the most affected by health cuts. Malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections are the top killers of young children in refugee camps. Without enough medicine and doctors, many children face death from preventable diseases.
Mothers also face high risks. In Kakuma, many women give birth at home because clinics are too far or too crowded. Without proper care, both mothers and babies are at risk of dying during childbirth.
Food and Health
The Trump Budget Cuts didn’t only affected healthcare. They also reduced food rations provided by the World Food Program. With less food, refugees became weaker and more vulnerable to disease. Malnourished children need more medical care, but clinics can not meet the demand.
The double burden for hunger and poor health services has created a dangerous cycle in Kakuma and Kalobeyei.
International Aid Under Pressure
The U.S cuts sent a strong signarto other donors. Some countries also reduced their support, while others could not fill the gap.
The international organizations now have to choose between food and health, between education and shelter. Refugees are left to survive with the little that remains
The Struggle of Health Workers
Doctors and nurses in camps are doing their best, but the situation is overwhelming. Imagine one doctor serving hundreds of patients every day with limited medicine and no equipment. Burnout and stress among health workers are common.
Many health professionals say they feel helpless, watching patients suffer because of things beyond their control.
Why the World Should Care
Some may ask : why should the world worry about refugee in Kakuma and Kalobeyei?
The answer is simple: human dignity and global responsibility.
• Refugees did not choose to flee their countries. War and violence forced them to leave.
• Cutting health care is not just about reducing budgets. It is about life and health for innocent people.
• Neglecting refugee health can also create global health risks, such as the spread of infectious diseases.
Possible Solution and the Way Foward
While the Trump cuts created damage, there are ways forward:
- Renewed International Support
Other governments and private donors can step in to fill the funding gap.
Refugees should not pay the price of political decisios.
2. Stronger partnership
Organizations like UNHCR, NGOs and local Kenya health services can work together to share recourses and expand coverage.
3. Investment in Local Healthcare
Supporting Kenyan health facilities near Kakuma and Kalobeyei can benefit both refugees and the host communities.
4. Advocacy and Awareness
Raising awareness through media, blogs like mine and campaigns can pressure leaders to restore funding and support refugee health rights.
A Call for Compassion
At the heart of this issue is compassion. Refugees in Kakuma and Kalobeyei are people with hopes, dreams and rights. Cutting their health services is not just a policy decision it is a moral failure.
The world must remember that every life matters, whether in America, Kenya or anywhere else in the world.
Health is a Human Right
The health crisis in Kakuma and Kalobeyei shows what happens when politics cuts through humanity. Trump’s budget cuts did not just reduce on a page, they reduced acces to medicine, doctors and hope for thousands of refugees.
As the global community looks to the future, it must not forget Kakuma and Kalobeyei. Refugees need more than shelter and food. They need healthcare, dignity and a chance to live. Health is not a privilege. It is a right. And no one especially refugees should be left behind.
