Refugees from three camps in Dadaab on Friday received relief food from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The three camps are Ifo, Hagadera and Dagahaley. The 1,200-tonnes consignment contained rice, sugar, dates, salt, maize, beans and wheat flour. The food will be distributed to 77,000 households.
Speaking to the press at Ifo refugee camp, Saad Almaget from King Salmani Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, said they are obliged to assist.
He said the needs assessment they got from the Kenya Red Cross Society revealed that pregnant women, lactating mothers, children, people living with disability and HIV positive people are the most vulnerable.
Northeastern Kenya Red Cross regional manager Salah Hassan said the food has come at the right time as the refugees are facing acute food shortage and financial problems.
“We welcome any bilateral and philanthropic support,” Hassan said.
Ifo camp chairwoman Rukia Ali urged other donors to help.
In October last year, the UN World Food Programme announced it would cut food rations by 30 per cent for inhabitants of the camps due to insufficient donor assistance.
On November 10, 2013, the governments of Kenya and Somalia, and the UNHCR, signed a tripartite agreement to repatriate Somali refugees from Kenya to ‘safe areas’ in southern Somalia.
