Migori IDPs plead with government over compensation

IDPs in Migori County while addressing the press in Migori town. The IDPs who were displaced during the 2007/2008 post election violence want the government to compensate them, say they have no place to call homes and no means of surviving. [Anne Atieno, Standard]

Several internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Migori County are now pleading with the government to compensate them.

According to the IDPs who were displaced during the 2007/2008 Post Election Violence, the government has forgotten about them despite numerous promises that they would be compensated.

Nashon Oriema, their chairperson who is also a former councilor for Olkaria ward in Nakuru County stressed the need for the government to ensure that all the affected persons benefited.

Rioba Chacha, one of the IDPs said despite years of pleading, they were yet to be compensated.

"We have been looking for ways of getting help and some of us here have never been compensated," Mr. Chacha stated.

The IDPs claimed that some of them were only given Sh10,000 which they say was not enough to settle them.

According to the IDPs, some people were killed, others left disabled, and others displaced from their homes.

Catherine Robi who is from Kuria East and was living in Kericho in 2007 before the PEV, said since they were displaced and incurred losses, they have never seen any help from the government.

"Some of us have no place to call home. We ask the president to look into our matter and compensate us. We want justice for us who were affected," Ms. Robi said.

She highlighted that the government had agreed to compensate them but this is not being done.

Robi said she currently lives in a rental house with her children and has no place to call home.

Paul Ouma who lost an eye and is now relying on a plastic eye, said this was occasioned by the post-election violence.

Migori has about 4100 IDPs who claim they were affected by the post-election violence.