By ANTONY GITONGA, ERIC ABUGA and NAFTAL MAKORI
As the government moved to close all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, a new problem of unprofiled and integrated victims has emerged.
As President Uhuru Kenyatta issued Sh400,000 to IDPs from various camps in Mahiu on Saturday, tens of IDPs emerged claiming their names were missing from the list of those receiving the funds.
President Kenyatta directed Cabinet Secretary for Devolution Ann Waiguru to address the issue of IDPs missing from the list.
“We are keeping our promise of resettling all IDPs in the country and we expect this exercise to be done by the 20th of this month,” he said.
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The president promised that the IDPs from five camps in Mai Mahiu would get water and electricity in the area very soon.
The IDPs from Gema, Vumilia 51, Wanaruona Baraka, Kihoto and Kiongano termed their continued suffering as unwarranted and challenged the Jubilee government to end it.
According to the Chairman of Wanaruona Camp John Waweru, they were shocked to learn that their names were missing from the list of beneficiaries.
And leaders from Nyamira and Kisii counties have urged the government to consider over 1000 IDPs from the area in the ongoing compensation.
They urged the government not to discriminate against IDPs from the two counties while giving out Sh3.3 billion to resettle 8, 298 living in camps.
Speaking in Kisii during a youth forum organised by the Centre for Multiparty Democracy, the lobby’s chairman, Mr Omingo Magara, lamented that over 1000 IDPs from the area had been ignored in the resettlement plan.
South Mugirango MP Manson Nyamweya said local leaders couldn’t understand why IDPs in the area had not been included in the resettlement exercise.
Exercise skewed
Meanwhile, the Nyanza IDPs Network Patron Evans Misati has termed the exercise as skewed towards areas believed to have voted for the Jubilee administration.
Misati said IDPs from Nyanza especially Kisii and Nyamira Counties were left out of the payout despite the fact they suffered heavily during the 2007/2008 post election violence.
He said majority were given a paltry Sh10,000 while others got Sh25,000. Others received Sh35,000.
“There is no difference between the IDPs who decided to stay in camps and those who sought refuge at the homes of relatives. Integrated IDPs in Gusii region are in deep pain at what the government has done. It is discriminatory,” he said.
