A Brief History

From 1991 to 1993, Kenya had its worst economic performance since independence; inappropriate agricultural policies, inadequate credit, and poor international trade agreements contributed to the decline in agriculture and combined with rising oil prices, resulted in 57% of the population affected by poverty.

A series of disasters plagued Kenya in 1997 and 1998: severe flooding destroyed roads, bridges, and crops; epidemics of malaria and cholera overwhelmed the ineffectual health care system; and ethnic clashes erupted between ethnic groups in the Rift Valley.

In August 2000, UN aid workers estimated 3.3 million Kenyans were at risk of starvation due to a devastating East African drought and similarly, in 2006 a drought ravaged Kenya, where 2.5 million Kenyans faced starvation.

Kenya's turbulent political and economic situation continued and descended into violence and chaos following December 2007's presidential election. Political instability and conflicting factions divided communities and by February 2008, more than 1,000 people had died in the ethnic violence.

Muslim Aid Field Office in Kenya

Muslim Aid projects in Kenya include a water programme in the Mandera district where we provided clean drinking water by digging of wells, constructing water reservoirs, and installing hand pumps.

Muslim Aid was granted a temporary license to operate in Kenya in February 2008 and permanent registration is expected in April 2008.  An office space with guest room has been identified and equipped.  Our representative in Kenya Dahir Mohamud has been working to establish linkages for Muslim Aid with the Government of Kenya and various international bodies including the UN and other NGOs.  Muslim Aid is part of the cluster groups for Somalia for WATSAN and healthcare.  Following the temporary license, the first proposal for Somalia was submitted to USAID in Kenya for an education project.