Residents of Turkana West Sub-County have voiced frustration over the poor conditions they endure while hosting large numbers of refugees in Kakuma refugee camp, saying they feel neglected.

During a recent visit by the National Assembly’s Parliamentary Committee on Regional Development, led by Sigor MP Peter Lochakapong, locals expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of essential resources, many of which are provided primarily for refugees.

Jennifer Ajikon, a Kakuma resident, criticised the disparity, saying refugees receive free healthcare and food while locals face high costs for these essentials.

“We have no land here in Kakuma for farming. We depend on menial jobs and food donations to survive. We had hoped to benefit from hosting refugees,” she said.

Ajikon noted that unlike refugees, who receive regular food rations and cash transfers to support their livelihoods, host community members rarely receive similar assistance.

James Epeyok also decried the lack of clean water for locals, pointing out that refugees have access to 28 boreholes, while the host community relies on only one.

The parliament committee was conducting a fact-finding mission at Kakuma refugee camp and the Kalobeyei resettlement to understand the impact on the host community. The two-day committee visit aimed to assess the impact and challenges associated with the presence of refugees since Kakuma camp’s establishment in 1990.

Lochakapong revealed that they had met with UNHCR officials, visited the Department of Refugee Services, and toured key sites.

“Our mission is to understand what’s happening at the camp and to address the community’s concerns,” he noted, highlighting additional issues, such as environmental degradation and perceived discrimination in scholarship opportunities, where the hosts reportedly received limited support.