The Dadaab refugee complex has a population of 218,873 registered refugees and asylum seekers as at the end of July 2020. Dadaab refugee complex consists of three camps. The three Dadaab camps are Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera. The first two are located in Lagdera (Dadaab) district while Hagadera is located in the neighboring Fafi district. A large part of the residents in the old camps (Ifo, Dagahaley, Hagadera) arrived in Dadaab in the 1990s and have children and grandchildren born in the camps. The camps resemble naturally-grown towns and have developed into commercial hubs connecting north-eastern Kenya and southern Somalia. During the Horn of Africa famine in 2011, two camps, Ifo 2 and Kambioos were established to cater of the influx. These two camps have, however, been closed with the reduction of the numbers in Dadaab as a result of the voluntary return program.
There are currently 4.3 million displaced people from South Sudan, including refugees, IDPs, and asylum-seekers.
“I was born in Dadaab Refugee Camp. All I Know is being a refugee”
Refugees must walk the many miles between Hagadiera, Ifo and Dagahali if they wish to visit family and friends.
Manager at World Food Program distribution centre in Dagahaley camp in Dadaab.
15 years of age, recently lost her mother. Despite Kenya's push to voluntarily repatriate refugees, “Somalia is not stable”