Daily Nation:15,000 IDPs in Kisii, Nyamira to be compensated

About 15,000 people displaced during the 2007/2008 post-election violence are finally set to be awarded millions of shillings in compensation.

A special team set up to work with the Office of the President has worked out a framework of compensating the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who opted to be integrated in Kisii and Nyamira counties instead of living in camps.

The Nation.co.ke has established that the details of the payments could be made as soon as next week when President Uhuru Kenyatta visits the two counties, largely seen as swing-vote regions ahead of the August General Election.

Names of the IDPs to benefit were vetted from a list forwarded to the National Coordination Consultative Committee on IDPs (NCCC) by the IDPs Network Patron Evans Misati.

Mr Misati has confirmed that he was aware that plans to offer the compensation were at advanced stages but chose not to disclose details.

1,133 KILLED

“We have made good progress and we hope that our members will finally be offered justice, which they have not got for 10 years,” he said.

Over 650,000 people were displaced in the post poll violence in which 1,133 people were killed.

The violence broke out following a disputed presidential election, after then Party of National Unity (PNU) candidate Mwai Kibaki was declared winner.

The declaration sparked protests in some regions as supporters of then Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate Raila Odinga disputed the elections.

The violence led to the International Criminal Court (ICC) stepping in to attempt to prosecute those who were accused to bear the greatest responsibility for the chaos. All the cases were later dropped.

But the Kibaki regime was accused ofcompensating IDPs unfairly, ignoring those from Kisii and Nyamira.

The accusations prompted the IDPs who fled to Nyamira and Kisii counties to threaten to sue the government for failing to compensate them.

They were demanding Sh400,000 each to buy land just like their counterparts in Central and Rift Valley regions.

Led by Mr Misati, the IDPs accused the government of discriminating against certain communities.

In December last year, NCCC chairman Mr Adan Wachu said the government had set aside Sh6 billion for the resettlement of over 90,000 integrated IDPs.

Mr Wachu said the government had embarked on resettling the IDPs who had integrated with other people after compensating those living in camps.

By the time, Mr Wachu said, the government had compensated all the 19,000 IDPs who were living in 80 camps and was turning its attention to the integrated IDPs.

“The government has been working tirelessly for the past two years to ensure that all the 19,000 IDPs are resettled. We have closed that chapter and our shift is on the integrated ones,” Mr Wachu said.

More than Sh5.7 billion had been used for the purpose, he said.

He announced that the government was finalising the audit of the list of the integrated IDPs after which their names will be compiled.

The government, he said, was working with county administrators to come up with acceptable ways of compensating the IDPs.

Some of the integrated IDPs were living in Ol Kalou, Nakuru, Kakamega, Vihiga, Kisii, Migori, Marsabit and Mombasa counties.

The more than 400 IDPs pooled funds to purchase a 60-acre piece of land for themselves.

Mr Wachu expressed his delight on their efforts and urged all other IDPs to emulate the idea.

According to him, this is sufficient proof that the IDPs had been resettled.

The national IDP chairman, Mr Patrick Githinji, said the Mumoi IDP camp cooperated with the government in the compensation process.

The Chairperson of Mumoi IDP camp, Mr Ng’anga Gikonyo, said that out of the 40 acres of land bought, their self-help group managed to pay for 20 acres in cash and are working on clearing the balance.