Suleiman Mbatiah | Nation Civil society and rights group members chant slogans during a press conference in Nakuru last week. They declared November 7 national demonstration day for IDPs resettlement in Kenya, accusing some politicians of making false promises on their resettlement.
By JACKLINE MORAA jmoraa@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Sunday, October 30 2011 at 22:00
Posted Sunday, October 30 2011 at 22:00
IN SUMMARY
- The uprooted people accuse politicians of turning them into cash cows by making their plight a tourist attraction to fund-raise for next year’s elections
Civil society on Sunday accused the government of conducting skewed compensation and resettlement of Internally displaced Persons (IDPs).
Consequently, Trusted Society of Human Rights Alliance said IDPs still living in camps will next week take to the streets to press the government to resettle and compensate them.
The lobby’s chairman, Mr Elijah Sikona, said the demonstrations will staged at the country’s main towns on November 7.
Records are not clear
Addressing uprooted people in Ogembo Town, Mr Sikona took issue with the government for conducting a skewed resettlement dubbed Operation Rudi Nyumbani.
He said up to date, the records are not clear on how many people were resettled in the programme. He also said IDPs want to know how the Sh4.2 billion, which was allocated during this year’s budget for the resettlement of IDPs, has been used.
He alleged that IDPs have been turned into cash cows by some unnamed politicians who have also hatched a plot to buy their votes next year.
“We have close to 800,000 IDPs in camps and some politicians are using them as a tourist attraction to earn cash,” Mr Sikona claimed. He asked all IDPs to come out in large numbers and support the demonstrations.
The IDPs drawn from Kenyenya, Nyamache, Nyamira and Gucha South districts claimed they have never received any money from the government like other IDPs in other camps.
IDPs in Gucha said the government has failed to listen to their plight and has ignored them since they were displaced in 2008.
Led by their chairman, Mr Robert Onsoti, they said they will not relent until the government compensates and resettles them.
Mr Onsoti alleged that the more than 2,000 in Gucha only received four kilogrammes of maize each from the government in 2008.
Pathetic conditions
He said they are yet to receive the initial Sh10,000 from the Ministry of Special programmes, adding, most people are living in pathetic conditions with their children dropping out of school for menial jobs because of poverty.
A 78-year-old Morumbwa Onsongo, who lost his three children in Molo during the post-election violence, said he was living with relatives, who have since chased him out of their compound.
Mr Wilfred Orina who represented IDPs of 1992, 1997 and 2007 said their group wrote to Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta asking for compensation and resettlement, but had not received any assistance.
Mr Orina said the government dispersed some amount of money to banks, but it did not reach them.
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