Climate Refugees in Kenya Struggle Amid Climate Change [2023]
Climate refugees in Kenya are people who are forced to flee their homes due to the effects of climate change, such as drought, floods, and extreme weather events. In Kenya, the impacts of climate change are significant, with rainfall patterns changing, temperatures rising, and natural resources being depleted. This has affected the lives and livelihoods of many people, particularly those living in rural areas that rely on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for their income.
Kenya’s climate refugees and their struggle to survive
As a result of climate change, many people in Kenya are experiencing food shortages, water scarcity, and loss of property and assets. This has led to internal displacement, where people are forced to move within the country, as well as cross-border migration, where people are seeking refuge in neighboring countries. The United Nations estimates that there are currently over 1.500,000 climate refugees in Kenya, and this number is expected to rise as the effects of climate change worsen.
Most of them are from the coastal areas of the country, where the effects of climate change are being felt the most. Rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions are making it impossible for people to live in these areas.
Efforts are being made to address the issue of climate refugees in Kenya, such as implementing replicable climate initiatives.
The Kenyan government’s response to the growing number of climate refugees
In what ways has the Kenyan government responded to the growing number of climate refugees?
The Kenyan government has been working to try and address the issue, but it has been a challenge. One of the biggest problems is that there is no legal framework in place to deal with climate refugees. This means that the government does not have any specific policies or procedures in place to help them.
The Kenyan government has worked to raise awareness of the issue of climate refugees and to engage with the international community to find solutions to this growing problem. Other measures like enacting a series of policies and programs designed to support and protect these individuals are underway. Other proposed measures include;
- the creation of a dedicated refugee camp for climate refugees,
- the provision of financial assistance and other forms of support, and
- the development of a resettlement program for those who cannot return to their homes.
List of refugee camps in Kenya
The world’s largest refugee camp is Dadaab in Kenya. It is home to more than 350,000 refugees, mostly from Somalia. Other camps in Kenya include Kakuma and Kalobeyei.
Do you know how many refugees are in Kenya?
According to ACAPS Kenya hosts over 494,000 refugees and asylum-seekers predominantly from Somalia, South Sudan, Congo, and Ethiopia. However, this number is constantly changing as more refugees arrive and others are resettled or repatriated.
Some countries with the most climate refugees are:
These countries are among the most vulnerable to the catastrophic effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, droughts, floods, and extreme weather conditions. As a result, many people are forced to leave their homes and become climate refugees in search of safer places to live.
Definition of climate refugees
Who are climate refugees?
Climate refugees, also called climate or environmental migrants, refers to people,
“forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily or permanently, because of marked environmental disruption.”
Essam El-Hinnawi, UN Enviromental Program
Amar Rahman, Global Head of Climate Change Resilience Services (Zurich Insurance Group) add,
Anyone who has been impacted by disruption in their society that could somehow directly or indirectly be related to short- or long-term change in the environment.
Climate refugee statistics
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), since the year 2008, an estimated 22.5 million people have been displaced by climate or weather-related events. These events include floods, storms, droughts, wildfires, and sea-level rise. According to UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, the annual average of climate migrants is at 21.5 million people.
The number of people displaced due to climate change is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. By 2050, it is estimated that up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced by climate change.
The difficulties faced by climate refugees in Kenya
Climate refugees in Kenya face many difficulties. They often have to leave their homes and communities behind, and start new lives in unfamiliar and often hostile environments. They may not have the skills or resources to survive in their new surroundings. Additionally, they may face discrimination and prejudice from locals who are not used to having outsiders in their midst.
The impact of climate change on Kenya’s environment and economy
Climate change is already having an impact on Kenya’s environment and economy. The country is experiencing more extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, which are damaging crops and livestock. This is causing food shortages and increasing prices.
Climate change is also making it difficult for people to access clean water and forcing them to migrate to other areas in search of resources. This is putting a strain on social cohesion and exacerbating poverty. The government is working to mitigate the effects of climate change, but more needs to be done to protect Kenya’s people and economy from the increasingly severe impacts of this global problem.
A gap exists on training on how to help climate asylum seekers.
What happened in climate change in Kenya 2022?
According to scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, continuing the planet’s long-term warming trend, global temperatures in 2022 were 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.89 degrees Celsius) above the average for NASA’s baseline period (1951–1980).
Thus, climate change is a global issue that affects every country, including Kenya.
In recent years, Kenya has experienced the effects of climate change, including prolonged droughts, unpredictable rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and increasing frequency of natural disasters such as floods and landslides. These climate changes have impacted food security, access to water resources, public health, and biodiversity conservation in the country. The Kenyan government has implemented various measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, including the development of policies and strategies, promoting renewable energy, and investing in climate-smart agriculture.
Kenya lakes flooding
Kenya is prone to flooding due to its location in the tropics and its topography. The country has many lakes, which are often the source of the floods. The most common lakes that flood are Lake Victoria, Lake Turkana, and Lake Naivasha. These floods often occur during the rainy season, which is from April to May. The floods can cause damage to homes, infrastructure, and crops. They can also lead to displacement of people and loss of life.
The way forward for Kenya’s climate refugees
The Kenyan government has set up a task force to try and address the issue of climate refugees. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. The government needs to put in place a legal framework to deal with climate refugees. It also needs to provide more support to people who have been forced to leave their homes.
What is the way forward for Kenya’s climate refugees? It involves a multi-pronged approach that addresses the immediate needs of climate-induced migrants in the country while also providing sustainable solutions to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.
Short-term solutions
The first step in addressing the needs of climate displaced persons and refugees is to provide short-term solutions. The government and humanitarian agencies should work together to provide basic needs to the affected people. These could include provision of food, water, shelter, and well-equipped healthcare facilities.
Climate adaptation measures
The government must implement climate adaptation measures to reduce the negative effects of climate change. This could include, among others, investing in early warning systems or installing climate-resilient infrastructure such as clean water harvesting and recycling, dissemination of easy post-harvest technology, and value-addition of agricultural produce.
The issue of climate refugees is a complex one. It is one that the Kenyan government needs to address urgently.
FAQs
What are the climate challenges in Kenya?
The Kenyan government is struggling to cope with the influx of climate refugees, and many are ending up in overcrowded camps where they lack basic necessities. The situation is only likely to get worse in the coming years, as climate change continues to impact Kenya.
How does climate impact the people from Kenya?
As seen above, climate refugees in Kenya are people who have been forced to leave their homes due to the effects of climate change. Kenya is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, and its people are already feeling the effects.
Droughts and floods have become more common, and the land is becoming less hospitable to crops and livestock.
Which country takes the most climate refugees?
According to a report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, the top five countries with the highest number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in 2018 were Syria, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Sudan. All of these countries have been affected by conflict and violence, which often leads to large-scale displacement of people.
What are examples of climate refugees?
Over the past few years, Kenya has been grappling with the issue of climate refugees. This is a term used to describe people who are forced to leave their homes due to the effects of climate change.
Examples of climate refugees are people who are displaced by extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, or droughts. They may also be displaced by long-term changes in the climate, such as rising sea levels or desertification.
Recent news stories about migration in Kenya
- Kenya’s Maasai pastoralists grapple with changing climate, shrinking grazing lands
- Maasai Pastoralists Struggle with Prolonged Drought — Land Is Life
- Kenya’s climate refugees feel the heat of changing weather — Fair Planet
- How climate change is forcing Kenyan women to leave their homes behind -Unearthed, Greenpeace, Uk
- In Kenya, climate change shrinks Maasai Mara wildebeest migration — Reuters
References
- Environmental refugee — Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS) Online Research and Teaching Tools (ORTT) — CARFMS — ORTT
- Frequently asked questions on climate change and disaster displacement — The UNHCR
- In the Face of Climate Change, Migration Offers an Adaptation Strategy in Africa — IOM
- Amid Record Drought and Food Insecurity, East Africa’s Protracted Humanitarian Crisis Worsens — Migration Policy Institute
- UNHCR’s Drought Response in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia as of 30 November 2022. UNHCR fact sheet, Nairobi, Kenya, December 2022 — UNHCR
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Originally published at https://www.soleforafricanchild.org on March 27, 2023.
