Resettlement of poll chaos victims costs State and donors Sh900m

• 40,000 houses to be built for uprooted families as PS says 19,800 still in camps.
• Government spent Sh482 million in the resettlement programme and gave a further Sh303 million to the refugees as funds to help them restart their lives.
• PS says counsellors will be sent to help the traumatised violence victims come to terms with their experiences and begin life afresh.

These districts, alongside the Rift Valley provincial commissioner received Sh500,000 each for reconciliation efforts.

Mr Mohammed also said that counsellors were being sent to help the traumatised violence victims come to terms with their experiences and begin life afresh.

The ministry’s website indicates that even though the Ministry of Agriculture ploughed more than 10,000 acres of farmland for returning internal refugees in the Rift Valley and issued seeds and top dressing fertiliser worth Sh61 million and Sh29 million respectively, more land was still fallow.

Molo and Kipkelion districts, where 99 per cent of internal refugees have returned, received more attention. The water wells in areas where the refugees have returned need to be tested and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation is working on the exercise.

More mobile toilets need to be set up in areas where the refugees are in transit camps. Their security, too, poses a major challenge.

In Eldoret North District, 55 people who were resettled from the Eldoret ASK showground were not welcomed by the host community and had to be returned to the camp.

Relief food

During the months of May and June, the Government donated food to the UN World Food Programme, with the beneficiaries being internal refugees, the school feeding programme and people affected by drought and famine under the emergency operation (Emop).

Some 2.5 million people are being assisted under the three programmes.

The Government has also been releasing substantial quantities of relief food to the needy through the Kenya Red Cross Society which has been the lead agency distributing Government food to internal refugees. 

In July 2008, the Government released the food to the society for distribution to people affected by drought in Baringo Central, Baringo North and East Pokot districts.

The PS said the Government would continue to assess the food security situation in the country and respond appropriately.

Mr Mohammed emphasised the Government’s commitment to see that the returning refugees settled in their homes as quickly as possible.