MSF_Kenya_Marsabit_County

Kenya

We offer care to refugees, survivors of sexual violence and people who use drugs in Kenya, and respond to public health challenges, including HIV.

For over 30 years, our teams have been providing care to communities in and around the Dadaab refugee camp. In our 100-bed hospital in Dagahaley, part of the Dadaab refugee camp, our teams conduct outpatient consultations and admit patients to the hospital, including children with severe malnutrition.

In Kiambu, our clinic offers care for people who use drugs – who are often excluded from healthcare services. The Methadone Assisted Therapy (MAT) clinic aims to reduce the morbidity and mortality of people addicted to heroin. It caters for all healthcare needs including mental health and psychosocial support. 

Our activities in Kenya in 2023

Data and information from the International Activity Report in 2023.

MSF IN KENYA IN 2023 In 2023, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) responded to multiple emergencies and public health challenges in Kenya, including the refugee crisis in Dadaab, disease outbreaks, and severe flooding in the northeast.
MSF activities in Kenya in 2023

Drought and conflict in Somalia continued to drive people to seek refuge in Dadaab, a huge, overcrowded camp complex in Kenya, which currently hosts more than 350,000 registered and unregistered refugees. Our teams delivered healthcare in and around the complex, in particular in the Dagahaley camp, while publicly and persistently calling for an improved international response to scale up humanitarian assistance.

We also provided social and medical assistance to marginalised communities in Mombasa, Nairobi, and Kiambu County.

In Mombasa, we supported numerous facilities to cater to the specific needs of vulnerable adolescents and young people, including people who engage in sex work, people who use drugs intravenously, people from the LGBTQI+ community, and people living on the streets.

In Nairobi's Eastlands suburb, the youth-friendly centre we run in a public facility continued to assist people affected by violence by offering medical services, including sexual and reproductive healthcare, psychosocial support, recreational activities, and educational programmes.

In Kiambu County, we worked with the local government to implement effective healthcare solutions for drug users, such as offering medically assisted therapy in smaller, local clinics close to their homes.

Our teams also responded to several emergencies in 2023. In November, the northeast of Kenya experienced significant rainfall, resulting in flooding that displaced thousands of families. We launched a rapid emergency response to deliver medical care and distribute hygiene kits to affected communities.

In Ileret, Marsabit County, we drilled wells to provide access to clean water and treat malnutrition. In Mandera, we responded to a cholera outbreak with treatment for patients and community outreach activities. In Turkana, our teams conducted vaccinations and offered treatment for malnutrition, malaria, and measles.

Throughout the year, we continued to work on improving HIV care in the country. In Homa Bay, we supported the county referral hospital’s adult medical wards with staff, treatment and follow-up care.

IN 2023

 
Drug-resistant TB

Caroline Aluda: “Good public health means good health for all”

Fieldworkers Stories 8 Sep 2017
 
HIV/Aids

Elizabeth Aruwa: “Working with MSF is a good learning experience”

Fieldworkers Stories 23 Jun 2017
 
Kenya - Dadaab refugee camp
HIV/Aids

MSF welcomes Kenyan High Court ruling declaring closure of Dadaab refugee camps “illegal"

Press Release 9 Feb 2017
 
Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis: A huge step towards recovery

12 Feb 2016
 
Cholera

MSF concerned with the rapid spread of the cholera outbreak in Kenya

Press Release 2 Jun 2015
 
Kenya

Dadaab, Kenya: MSF forced to close health posts and evacuate staff amid escalating insecurity

Press Release 28 May 2015