Every morning, mothers from Kakuma and Kalobeyei line up at county health facilities with sick children. Traders crowd municipal markets, water bowsers crisscross busy roads, and ambulances respond to emergencies that make no distinction between a Kenyan citizen and a refugee.
Yet when Kenya shares billions of shillings among its 47 counties, Turkana says one critical reality remains largely invisible the enormous cost of hosting one of the world’s largest refugee populations.
That concern took centre stage on Tuesday when Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus hosted Antonia N’gabala Sodonon for discussions on strengthening partnerships between Turkana County and UN Women.
The Deputy Governor urged the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) to include refugee-hosting status as a parameter in Kenya’s revenue-sharing formula, arguing that counties carrying the country’s refugee responsibility deserve additional resources to deliver constitutionally devolved services.
“Turkana and Garissa continue to shoulder responsibilities that extend beyond their resident populations,” Dr. Erus said, noting that county governments provide services whose demand has grown significantly because of refugee settlements.
He proposed direct funding to refugee-hosting counties to improve coordination among humanitarian agencies and government institutions, strengthen social protection programmes and invest in economic opportunities that benefit both refugees and host communities.
“With direct funding from the Commission on Revenue Allocation and support from humanitarian actors such as UN Women and other players, we will not only create an integrated model for service delivery but also ease the burdens faced by refugee-hosting counties in Kenya,” said Dr. Erus.
Turkana is no ordinary county.
It is home to Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, which together accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees from across East and Central Africa. Every day, county hospitals treat patients from both refugee and host communities, county roads carry humanitarian traffic, and municipal services are stretched by a rapidly growing population.
Unlike Kenyan citizens, refugees cannot vote in county or national elections. They do not elect governors, members of county assemblies or members of parliament. Yet they rely on many of the same public services that county governments are constitutionally required to provide.
County leaders argue that this creates a funding gap.
Although humanitarian agencies finance many refugee-specific programmes, county governments still bear the responsibility of planning, maintaining and expanding public infrastructure that serves everyone—from health facilities and access roads to waste management, water systems and markets.
The funding debate comes as Turkana prepares to implement a proposed KSh16.6 billion budget for the 2026/27 financial year, following a 2025/26 budget of approximately KSh15.8 billion.
Most of that money comes from the county’s equitable share allocated by the National Government, supplemented by conditional grants and donor-funded programmes. Locally generated revenue contributes only a small proportion of the county’s budget.
County officials say that while the equitable share considers factors such as population, poverty levels and land area, it does not sufficiently account for the financial burden associated with hosting large refugee populations over several decades.
For Turkana, the argument is straightforward: if refugee-hosting is a national responsibility, then the cost of delivering devolved services to refugee-hosting communities should also be reflected in national revenue allocation.
The discussions also focused on implementation of the national Shirika Plan, which seeks to integrate refugee settlements into local economies by promoting shared infrastructure, public services and economic opportunities for refugees and host communities.
Turkana County believes successful implementation of the plan will depend on stronger collaboration between the National Government, county governments and humanitarian partners.
County officials say devolved governments should play a greater role in coordinating investments because key sectors under the plan—including health, water, local roads, trade, urban planning and local economic development—fall under county governments.
The county further argues that direct financing would enable counties to better align humanitarian investments with local development priorities while reducing duplication among implementing agencies.
The call for increased funding is also linked to the expanding responsibilities of Kakuma Municipality, whose jurisdiction encompasses communities hosting both refugees and local residents.
As the municipality continues to grow, demand for roads, drainage systems, water supply, markets, street lighting, waste management and other urban services continues to rise.
County leaders say sustained investment in municipal infrastructure will be essential if Kakuma is to support economic growth and deliver quality services to an increasingly diverse population.
Dr. Erus praised UN Women for its contribution to improving livelihoods in Turkana, particularly through investments such as the modern garage established in Kalobeyei, which has created opportunities for women and young people to acquire technical skills and participate in the local economy.
On her part, Antonia N’gabala Sodonon said the visit was intended to assess the progress of ongoing programmes, understand existing challenges and identify new opportunities for collaboration.
“Our visit to Turkana aims to take stock of interventions by UN Women, appreciate the successes realized and learn about the challenges. We also intend to strengthen the existing partnership and even form new ones,” she said.
She added that empowering women in both refugee and host communities would remain central to unlocking Turkana’s economic potential and building resilient communities.
The meeting also reviewed coordination of humanitarian and development interventions, implementation of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), progress under the Shirika Plan, value-chain development and ways of aligning partner interventions with the county’s development agenda.
For Turkana, however, the discussion extended beyond budgets and policy.
It was about ensuring that the cost of hosting hundreds of thousands of people is no longer treated as an invisible burden. County leaders say that if refugee-hosting is a national obligation, then counties carrying that responsibility should receive a fairer share of the resources needed to keep hospitals open, roads passable, taps running and local economies growingfor both the communities that welcomed refugees decades ago and the families who continue to seek safety there today.
