Humanitarian organizations are appealing for $8.9 million to help them assist tens of thousands of people who have fled violence in neighboring Ethiopia and entered Kenya, with aid agencies warning of urgent shortages of food, clean water, and shelter.
The United Nations refugee agency, or UNHCR, and its humanitarian partners say they need the funds to support up to 50,000 people over three months, as the influx puts pressure on host communities in Marsabit County in northern Kenya.
The humanitarian crisis has also raised security concerns along the border after a Kenyan woman was killed by a suspected stray bullet in Moyale on Monday.
The 64-year-old identified as Amina Guche was struck in the head while visiting government offices, according to Benedict Munywoki, the deputy county commissioner. She was taken to a nearby hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.
According to UNHCR, up to 50,000 people have crossed from Ethiopia into Kenya since late October. The escalation of the violence reportedly began after a dispute over the opening of a Somali regional administration office and the raising of the country's flag in contested territory.
Many of those who have been displaced are women and children. Some are staying with relatives and host families, while others have sought shelter in schools, churches, and temporary camps around Moyale.
UNHCR is coordinating the response with the Kenyan government, Marsabit County authorities, and humanitarian partners, including the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the Kenya Red Cross Society.
The agency is also mobilizing household relief items and temporary shelter materials for nearly 12,000 people.
The IOM said many of those fleeing were being accommodated by local communities, adding that assistance was needed, both for the new arrivals and their hosts.
"Meeting their immediate needs, while also supporting the communities who are now hosting thousands is an urgent priority," the IOM said in a statement.
Kenya Red Cross teams are conducting health screenings, monitoring living conditions, and providing emergency food and medical support.
Malik Adan, the organization's upper eastern regional head, said the largest camp was moved outside Moyale town.
"The biggest camp, which was relocated out of town, has about 5,000 people, mostly women and children," Adan told local media.
Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali has warned that the influx is putting pressure on host communities and appealed for additional food, medicines, and shelter materials.
A preliminary county assessment put the number of arrivals at around 40,000, he said, while planned WFP food assistance was expected to target 16,000 people.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights warned that overcrowding and inadequate sanitation could increase the risk of disease and called for improved healthcare, including services for pregnant women and newborns.
The violence has also disrupted education, forcing the relocation of 220 students sitting Kenya's secondary school examinations from two schools near the border after bullets struck one of the institutions.
Cross-border trade has also been affected, with cargo trucks stranded and businesses in Moyale reporting a sharp decline in the number of customers.
