Politics
North Rift poll clash victims get funds
Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Noor Hassan Noor second (right) accompanied by retired Arch Bishop Ndingi mwana a Nzeki third (right) flag off army lorries ferrying internally displaced people. Photo/FILE
Posted Tuesday, August 5 2008 at 18:57
In Summary
- 130,000 displaced persons received Sh10,000 each
- At the Eldoret showground, the more than 5,000 IDPs have not received the money
Internal refugees in the North Rift region have started receiving compensation from the Government though they have termed it as “too little”.
Some of the more than 130,000 displaced persons in the region last week received Sh10,000 each to enable them resettle in their homes.
But many of those interviewed termed the compensation a “drop in the ocean” and challenged the Government to come up with a comprehensive plan on how to resettle them once and for all, eight months after the post-election violence.
Access farms
Most of the beneficiaries are either back on their farms or in transitional camps from where they can access their farms.
Mwangi Karanja, 65, who is in a transitional camp, said that apart from transport from the main camp, the Government did not provide any assistance apart from food rations supplied by the Kenya Red Cross Society.
“What we’re being offered is just like pocket money and yet the Government is supposed to accept responsibility for what befell us,” said Mr Karanja, who repairs shoes next to his tent at Yamumbi.
Mr Karanja, a father of six, said he lost property worth an estimated at Sh485,000.
His sentiments are echoed by Mrs Tabitha Wanjiru, 75, who was allegedly left out of the compensation list.
She claimed some of those who were left out of the list lost their national identity cards during the clashes.
However at the Eldoret showground, the more than 5,000 IDPs have not received the money and want the process to be speeded up.
Those still camping at the showground are mostly traders, tenants, casual labourers and squatters.
Kenya Red Cross Society manager in charge of the North Rift region, Mr Patrick Nyongesa, said the society plans to construct Sh70,000 single-room houses for victims in Uasin Gishu District.
The programme has kicked off in Matharu area and will spread to other areas affected by the clashes.
There are about 3,253, displaced people in the area.
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