This th esis intend s to ex plore the soc io-econom ic impacts assoc iat ed ,,Â·it h th e presence o r rnmassive inn ux o f refu gees and reli ef ope rati ons. The stu dy wa s co ndu cted in KehrihelU// distri ct rnor th e Soma li National Regional State (S I RS) in ea stern Ethi opia . KehrihcmIJ distri ct has been rnhostin g over 250,000 refugees in three camps since 1988. The prolonged presence of massive rninnux o f refugees and reli ef resources ha brought maj or changes on the ditTercnt aspec ts or th e rnhosts' li ves. This th esis, thus, looked at th e soc io-economic aspec ts o r the chan ges. To und erstand rnthe maj or changes, the th esis used fo ur data co ll ecti on meth ods. These were review or lit erature, rnin-depth in tervi ew, foc us group discussion and direc t obse rvati on. rnThe th esis employed va ri ous indic ators both in th e soc ial and economic spheres in ord er LO rnunderstand th e perceived soc io-cultural and economi c changes on th li ves or th e host rncommunities. Accordingly, changes in th e soc io-c ultural spheres in clu de soc ial conni cts, erosion rnof customary marriage practi ce, changes in consumpti on pattern s, altitudes and behav iors. rnPositi ve ly, the common ethnicity pl ays a pivotal role in strengthening th e relati on between the rnhosts and th e refugees. rnEconomi c changes, on th e oth er hand , refer to th e deve lopment and expansion or f/(/risheik rnand Kebribehay town, trade and business acti viti es and in frastructure. The va ri ous social and rnhuman capitals, which refu gees had brought with them, have contributed ror th e loca l rndevelopment. Access to variolls fac ilities such as water, health , education and road is also rncreated. Negati vely, the presence of reli ef operations and th e refugees has put some pressure on rnresources such as vegetation, water and pasture. This, in turn , affected th e pastora l and agro pastoral activiti es, and also led to rural-urban migrati on, brain drain from th e government rnorgani zati on to the reli ef organi zati ons and hi gh costs of li ving.