April 2012 Kenya mission report

During the year 2011, the Dadaab camps received about 160.000 new refugees, bringing the actual total to 464,380.

The massive influx of an undernourished population and the insecure situation in and around the camps, hampering assistance, translated into an emergency situation towards the end of 2011.

Today the overall situation in the Dadaab refugee camps has improved and main health and nutrition indicators have come way down from the emergency levels seen at the end of 2011.

Implementing partners keep struggling to keep the basic services at acceptable levels in the congested camps. Shelter improvement is needed urgently in the newer camps.

The basic package of health and nutritional services is established in all of the camps, but important disparities between the more recent and older camps remain of concern.

Access for implementing partners remains a major concern because of insecurity and beefed up security measures.

The Kambioos camp has not been officially recognised and lacks protection.

To cope with the instable security situation on one hand and to change the refugee-assistance paradigm on the other hand, operational strategies are being continuously adapted (reflected in the Operational Continuation Program).