Just as Kenya begins preparing for the expected El Niño rains, humanitarian agencies are warning that falling donor support could leave the country with fewer resources to respond to floods, hunger and other emergencies. With millions already struggling to put food on the table, relief organisations fear the funding crisis could weaken efforts to protect the most vulnerable when heavy rains arrive.
Humanitarian organisations say the country is facing growing pressure as international funding continues to decline while the demand for emergency assistance rises. The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) says reduced donor support has opened a financing gap at a time when preparations for the expected El Niño season should be gathering pace.
KRCS Secretary-General, Ahmed Idris, said financial support from the United States has dropped by about 40 per cent, affecting humanitarian programmes that have relied on international assistance for many years.
Traditionally, the US has provided between $350 million (Sh45.2 billion) and $400 million (Sh51.6 billion) every year to support humanitarian work in Kenya, including disaster response, food assistance and refugee programmes.
The Kenya Meteorological Services Authority has warned that the October to December rainy season is likely to be strengthened by El Niño, increasing the likelihood of flooding in several parts of the country.
Dr Idris said the expected floods are only one part of the challenge. He explained that Kenya is currently experiencing a prolonged dry spell that is expected to reduce crop production before the rains begin. According to him, the dry conditions between June and August are likely to lower harvests, making food shortages even worse.
He warned that the rapid move from dry conditions to flooding could disrupt livelihoods and make it difficult for many communities to maintain reliable food supplies.
“We need to mobilise the right partnerships between the private sector, the international community, donors, the government and humanitarian organisations so that certain measures are put in place early enough to ensure no Kenyan is affected by the reduced food or the effect of high levels of water,” he said in Taita Taveta during the visit by King Letsie III of Lesotho, who is the International Red Cross Food Security and Nutrition Ambassador at the African Union.
King Letsie III visited Kenya to highlight the growing effect of climate change on food production and food security across Africa.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) estimates that more than 270 million people across Africa are food insecure, while close to 175 million are facing acute hunger.
In Kenya, more than 3.3 million people living in arid and semi-arid areas are projected to experience acute hunger this year. Refugees are also among those facing the biggest challenges after humanitarian agencies reduced food rations because of limited funding.
IFRC Secretary-General, Jagan Chapagain, said humanitarian organisations are being forced to rethink how they respond as donor contributions continue to fall.
“We see weakening global solidarity. The amount of money available for humanitarian and development work is not what it was five years ago. If we respond in the same way with fewer resources, we will not succeed,” he said.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary, Belio Kipsang, warned that the continued drop in donor funding could leave thousands of refugees without the support they depend on.
Speaking in Mombasa while receiving 10,000 tonnes of rice donated by South Korea to the World Food Programme (WFP), Dr Kipsang said many traditional donors have reduced their support, forcing aid agencies to cut food rations that were already inadequate.
He added that the US, through the former USAID programme, contributed $390 million (Sh50.3 billion) to WFP's emergency drought response in Kenya during 2022 and 2023.
WFP Kenya Country Director, Betty Ka, said the rice donation will provide food assistance to nearly half a million refugees in the coming months. She added that money saved through faster cargo clearance at the Port of Mombasa will be used to pre-position emergency food supplies ahead of the expected El Niño rains.
Scientists estimate there is an 81 per cent chance that the current El Niño will become a very strong event and a 97 per cent chance that it will continue into early 2027, increasing concern over the possibility of prolonged heavy rainfall.
The government has already formed an ad hoc Cabinet committee chaired by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki to oversee preparedness measures. Its work includes flood control, evacuation planning, protecting key infrastructure and positioning emergency supplies before the rains begin.