• They said they were never compensated though the President directed the Treasury to disburse Sh15 billion to IDPs with a humanitarian fund.
• They also said the current trend of hate speech bodes ill for the future and they fear a return to the dark days of PEV.
Image: COURTESY
IDPs from around the country have converged in Kitale, Trans Nzoia, and urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to resettle them before the August 9 polls.
Speaking under the auspices of the National Internally Displaced Persons Network, the integrated IDPs urged the government to honour its promise of resettling them. It has been long overdue, they said.
Led by national secretary for the Network, Raphael Eyanai, they said President Kenyatta had directed the National Treasury to disburse Sh15 billion to the IDPs with additional humanitarian fund.
They asked why they were never compensated.
Speaking to the Star in Kitale town on Wednesday, Eyanai asked why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) report had never been implemented.
“Why do you even make an Act of Parliament that can never be implemented? Through an Act, we were allocated funds that were meant to restore us to our previous states but this is still in vain,” Eyanai said.
Eyanai said the IDPs will not agree to be handed over to the next regime, saying their issues should be sorted before elections. He said all relevant government bodies and agencies are aware of their plight, from the President downwards.
They said they should not be sidelined further.
Nakuru Displacement Prevention and Peace Development Group secretary Benjamin Mutai decried what he termed a government "oblivious" for more than 10 years.
He denounced politicians issuing inflammatory statements aimed at inciting the masses against each other. He asked the government to take full charge of security in the country and curb hate speech.
“We saw the chaos that resulted from reckless utterances from the political class and others ahead of the 2007 general election and we feel so bad when we other people take us back to those dark days.
"The government should bring this to an end,” Mutai said. He appealed to leaders across the political divide to use language that that doesn't incite people against each other.
The current trend witnessed among them was a recipe for more chaos, he said.
Mutai, a resident of Nakuru said peaceful coexistence among all Kenyans was the only way to realise development.
He urged NCIC to crack the whip on those making inflammatory statements in public and said relevant agencies should wake up and do their job.
Dorcas Chesang', an IDP from Kitale, criticised the government for failing to show seriousness in settling them, more than a decade since they were evicted from their farms.
“As women, we were so humiliated in the post 2007-2008 election period that anytime we hear about polls we tremble. We appeal to the government to take all measures to prevent a recurrence," she said.
She said resettlement funds cannot be bargained for with political aspirants.
The mother of four said it was easy for the political class to fuel their own vehicles and move around to seek votes, yet they had been unwilling to push for the resettlement of the IDPs.
She said she was reluctant to ever vote again.
Mark Kori, a resident of Kuresoi South in Nakuru county, said a group of the IDPs were not funded due to a cash crunch but were promised they would get their dues later.
Korir said the government has never honoured its pledge and they are still struggling to make ends meet after losing their belongings and valuables.
“We wonder in whose pockets the funds went even after the President announced that we would be sorted out and that funds were available,” Korir said.
Samuel Nyaborora, the IDP Network chairperson, said the government has details of the 230,000 members but has done nothing to help.
“We have never gone to the streets to protest yet we are suffering,” he said.
Nyaborora directed his appeal to President Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Eyanai said their meeting was organised to relook at the resettlement arrangements for those who were not compensated earlier.
He said representatives from 22 counties were present to discuss how best to bring the issue to an end by making a push for their dues to be released.
(Edited by V. Graham)