Food crisis hits Ethiopians fleeing violence into Kenya’s Moyale

NAIROBI,Kenya, Nov 9-Thousands of Ethiopian families who fled violent clashes in their country and sought refuge in Kenya’s Moyale area are facing acute food shortages, with more than seven in ten households reporting insufficient food, a new humanitarian assessment has found.

An estimated 50,000 people had crossed into Kenya by October 29, according to an assessment conducted by the Government of Kenya and the Marsabit County Government, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations agencies and humanitarian organisations.

The assessment found that 71 per cent of households surveyed did not have enough to eat, while 80 per cent identified food as their most urgent need, highlighting the growing humanitarian needs among displaced families and the communities hosting them.

“Families who fled are facing serious shortages of food, water and adequate shelter, while communities hosting them are already facing limited resources,” said Nomagugu Ncube, IOM Kenya Chief of Mission.

“Assistance needs to reach both these displaced families and the communities that have opened their homes to them,” she added.

The findings also point to worsening living conditions, with displaced families struggling to access clean drinking water, adequate shelter and healthcare.

Most of the families have been accommodated by relatives and members of host communities, placing additional pressure on households already dealing with limited resources.

Others have sought refuge in schools and temporary displacement sites, while some have been forced to sleep in the open.

Children account for more than half of the displaced population, including a significant number of children under five, raising concerns about their health and well-being amid inadequate food, water and sanitation.

The assessment further established that 44 per cent of surveyed households had insufficient access to drinking water, while more than three-quarters lacked handwashing facilities.

Conditions were particularly difficult at temporary displacement sites in Somare, Taqwa Mosque and St. Mary’s Catholic, where access to water and sanitation services was severely limited.

Access to healthcare has also emerged as a major challenge, with more than half of the households reporting difficulties reaching nearby health facilities, largely because of high costs and shortages of medicines.

The assessment, conducted between October 29 and 30, covered 758 households across temporary displacement sites and host communities in Moyale.

It found that 96 per cent of the households surveyed had fled Ethiopia, mainly from the Oromia and Somali regions, while nine in ten respondents reported that their entire villages had fled, underscoring the scale of displacement.

With food, shelter, water and healthcare needs continuing to mount, IOM and humanitarian partners are calling for urgent funding to scale up assistance to displaced families and host communities.

The humanitarian agencies say the funding is needed to support food distribution, emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation and access to healthcare as pressure on resources in the border region increases.

​Bruhan Makong is a Senior News Reporter for Capital FM in Nairobi, covering diplomacy, foreign policy, national security, climate, and human rights across East Africa and the wider region.