Save the Children has warned that children in Kenya are facing worsening humanitarian conditions as climate change, food insecurity, displacement and declining international aid continue to undermine access to essential healthcare and nutrition services.
The organisation said reductions in humanitarian funding had forced aid agencies to scale down critical interventions, including mobile health and nutrition outreaches targeting vulnerable communities in remote areas.
According to the organisation, in Turkana County, the number of health and nutrition outreaches declined by more than 80 per cent, from 158 in January 2025 to just 24 in October 2026, leaving thousands of children with limited access to medical care and treatment for malnutrition.
The agency also raised concerns over disruptions in the supply of Ready to Use Supplementary Food (RUSF), a specialised nutritional product used in treating children suffering from malnutrition.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi on Friday, Save the Children US President and Chief Executive Officer Janti Soeripto said children and families in Turkana and Kakuma were bearing the brunt of multiple crises, including climate shocks, conflict, displacement and poverty.
She said communities across the region had demonstrated remarkable resilience despite facing increasingly difficult living conditions.
“The world must not turn away from communities facing the combined impacts of conflict, displacement, climate shocks and poverty,” Soeripto said.
She called for increased investment in community led interventions, noting that such programmes could save lives while improving the long-term well-being of children.
The organisation further warned that anticipated El Niño rains could worsen the humanitarian situation in communities still recovering from prolonged drought.
According to Save the Children, heavy rainfall and flooding could displace families, destroy infrastructure, contaminate water sources and disrupt access to essential health, nutrition and child protection services.
Children could also face increased exposure to disease outbreaks, interruptions to education and family separation during emergencies.
Soeripto said climate change was already having a direct impact on children's lives, with repeated weather shocks destroying livelihoods, worsening hunger and pushing vulnerable households deeper into poverty.
“Climate change is no longer a future threat for children in Kenya. It is a daily reality. Repeated climate shocks are eroding livelihoods, deepening hunger and pushing vulnerable children further into crisis,” she said.
She added that declining humanitarian funding was limiting the capacity of AID organisations to respond effectively to the growing needs of affected communities.
Save the Children also highlighted increasing humanitarian pressure in northern Kenya following the arrival of more than 40,000 people fleeing violence in neighbouring countries.
The influx has intensified demand for healthcare, clean water, sanitation, education and child protection services in areas already struggling with climate-related challenges and economic hardship.
In Kakuma Refugee Camp, the organisation reported approximately 500 new arrivals every week, most of them children escaping conflict.
The agency further revealed that about a quarter of Marsabit County's population was experiencing crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity, classified under Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phases 3 and 4.
Despite the challenges, Save the Children said it continued to implement programmes aimed at supporting vulnerable children and families.
These include Child Friendly Spaces in Kakuma, which provide protection and psychosocial support to children, as well as mobile health services in Lodwar offering malnutrition treatment, immunisation, maternal and child healthcare and treatment for common childhood illnesses.
Save the Children Kenya Country Director Pornpun Jib Rabiltossaporn called for sustained investment in community-based solutions, warning against reliance on short-term humanitarian interventions.
She said children and communities in Turkana needed lasting solutions that would strengthen local health systems, improve nutrition, enhance water security and support sustainable livelihoods.
The organisation called on donors, governments and development partners to increase funding for emergency response services and long-term resilience programmes, particularly in healthcare, nutrition, water security and livelihoods.
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