A humanitarian group based in the United States has warned that refugees living in Kenya’s major camps are on the verge of famine following a sharp reduction in food assistance.

In a  statement , the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) said around 700,000 refugees in Dadaab, Kakuma, and Kalobeyei have been left in a desperate situation after donor governments, including the US, pulled back critical humanitarian funding. The group said the cuts have directly affected food supplies managed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other agencies.

According to USCRI, the situation has forced aid providers to reduce food rations drastically. “As of June, refugees are receiving just 28 per cent of their full in-kind food ration, amounting to only three kilos of rice, one kilo of lentils, and 500ml of cooking oil per person per month, far below the nutritional benchmark recommended by the UN,” the organisation stated.

The food shortage has been made worse by the complete halt in cash assistance, which used to help refugees access other basic food items.

“Simultaneously, all cash-transfer assistance has been halted, eliminating refugees’ ability to purchase essential proteins, vegetables, and supplementary items,” USCRI added.

The group painted a grim picture of growing hunger, saying many families can no longer cope. “The situation has become so dire that some refugee mothers have chosen to end their lives rather than witness the starvation of their children,” read the statement.

The organisation expressed deep concern over the alarming levels of hunger and malnutrition spreading across the camps.

“The malnutrition rate among refugee children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women in Kenya is above 13 per cent,” it noted.

“Starving children now fill hospital beds, severely malnourished, with time running out. Should this continue, refugees in Kenya will face the spectre of a widespread, man-made famine.”

USCRI President and CEO Eskinder Negash described the situation as heartbreaking, noting that those suffering have already been through enough. “Behind every statistic is a child going hungry, a mother skipping meals so her baby can eat, a teenager forced to abandon school to search for food or work,” he said.

“These are not abstract numbers – they are families who have already fled war, persecution, and unimaginable trauma, only to now face starvation in places they hoped would offer safety. They are now left to languish in open-air prisons.”

The WFP has warned it urgently needs $44 million to restore full food rations and cash support for refugees in the country through August. Without this money, the agency said, the situation will only grow worse, putting more lives in danger.