IDPs want more cash to buy fertile land
President Uhuru Kenyatta has a word with an elderly woman when he toured Vumilia camp for the internally displaced persons at Mai Mahiu in Naivasha. He issued cheques worth Sh109 million to 275 IDP households. Photo/FILE
What you need to know:
- The displaced say Sh400,000 given to them by Uhuru is not enough as sellers in Rift Valley increase prices
- Jubilee government has set aside Sh3 billion to resettle uprooted people
Some internally displaced people have asked for more funds to buy land saying the Sh400,000 they received is not enough.
The IDPs argue that the demand for land in Uasin Gishu, where most of them were living before the clashes, is high and has led to an increase in prices.
“Many of us cannot afford to buy land for farming,” Mr Joseph Maina, a victim from Yamumbi, Uasin Gishu County, said.
An acre is going for between Sh700,000 and Sh850,000 in most parts of Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia counties.
The government recently allocated Sh400,000 to each of the 2008 post-election violence victims as it closes IDP camps. Resettlement of IDPs was part of the pre-election pledge by the Jubilee government.
“Since we were displaced, the cost of land has gone up, so the government should increase the money,” another victim, Ms Mercy Wanjiru, said.
In Nakuru, 976 squatters from Rongai District, who filed a case at the High Court to challenge the resettlement of more than 3,000 Mau evictees and IDPs, have now opted for an out-of-court settlement to pave the way for negotiations with the government.
CHANGE OF HEART
Soin County Representative Simon Molok said the change of heart was motivated by the Jubilee government’s commitment to address the IDP crisis by allocating over Sh3.3 billion for their compensation.
Meanwhile, the government has been challenged to increase budgetary allocation to the National Land Commission (NLC) to hire research experts to facilitate land reforms.
Eldoret’s Centre for Human Rights and Democracy official Nick Omito said the cash will enable the commission to investigate allegations of plot-grabbing and irregular issuing of title deeds.
The NLC was allocated Sh241 million in the last budget — an amount some civil society groups claim to be inadequate to implement reforms in the sector.
“Land remains an emotive issue that the government needs to address by allocating enough cash to the commission,” Mr Omito said.
