Kibaki directs closure of Kenya refugee camps

• Government to purchase land for resettlement of all IDPs.
• Finance Ministry to provide funds for the purchase of land for the resettlement programme.
• Ministry of Land identifies arable land for the same purpose.

Kenya President Kibaki has directed the resettlement of all internal refugees in two weeks.

The President ordered the ministries of Finance, Special Programmes, Lands, Internal Security and Agriculture to move with speed in ensuring that land is made available for the resettlement exercise.

“We should move with speed to resettle the IDPs who are still in camps. This matter has dragged on for too long. We must deal with it and ensure that we do not have persons still living in camps,” he said.

“We also need to help those who are going back to their land to resettle and undertake their farming. I also appeal to all communities to live peacefully and co-exist harmoniously.”

President Kibaki was speaking Friday at his Harambee House office where he chaired a meeting of the committee overseeing resettlement of IDPs.

During the meeting, it was resolved that all IDP camps should be closed down within two weeks once the IDPs are resettled on the land purchased by the government.

It was also agreed that the Ministry of Finance should provide adequate funds for the purchase of land for the resettlement programme while the Ministry of Land identifies arable land for the same purpose.

The Ministry of Internal Security was directed to ensure that no new camps crop up after the genuine IDPs are resettled.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Special Programmes was ordered to continue with the exercise of paying Sh 25,000 to the integrated IDPs who are accommodated by other families.

The committee also agreed that the purchase of land by the government for the purpose of resettling the IDPs should be conducted in a transparent manner to ensure that government gets value for its money while the IDPs are resettled on arable land.

The meeting was attended by Special Programmes minister Dr Naomi Shaban, Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti and Lands minister James Orengo and Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura among others.

The IDPs became refugees in their own country following the post election violence that rocked Kenya after a disputed presidential poll.

The chaos resulted in the death of at least 1,300 people and the displacement of 650,000. It is this latter number that has largely been living in camps dotted around the country.