County promises new houses, pay-out for Tana Delta clash victims

By PAUL GITAU

TANA RIVER COUNTY: The Tana River County Government will reconstruct houses for victims of the 2012/2013 Tana Delta tribal clashes that left more than 200 people dead and scores of others displaced.

Governor Hussein Dado announced yesterday while addressing a public baraza in Kipini, Tana Delta District, that officers from his government had been dispatched to establish the number of houses that went up in flames during the violence that pitted ethnic Pokomo against the Orma.

The team is also set to establish farmers whose farms were destroyed and livestock killed during the tribal violence.

Close to 20,000 people were displaced or forced to flee their homes to safer grounds after the fighting.

“Once the report is ready, my government will assist those affected to reconstruct their homes and those whose farms were destroyed and livestock killed will receive some compensation,” he said.

DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS

He further said the move was meant to assist affected families currently living in deplorable conditions in displacement camps or wrecked homes.

“We as the government have seen the suffering of our people due to the clashes as some lost all their belongings, hence need to assist them,” Dado said.

He said both the Pokomo and Orma communities affected by the fighting will benefit equally from the programme.

The county boss asked Tana River residents to co-exist peacefully, noting that they should learn a lesson from the chaos.

“The clashes that were experienced in Tana Delta should teach us a lesson on how important it is to maintain peace as both the Pokomo and Orma community gained nothing from the chaos, apart from incurring huge losses,” he noted.

He said after the fact-finding mission establishes the number of houses destroyed and extent of property lost, his government would avail funds for reconstruction and compensation.

Kenya Red Cross statistics indicate more than 1,500 houses were destroyed during the clashes and more than 800 livestock killed.

Villages burnt include Kipao, Nduru, Kibusu, Chamwanamuma, Riketa, Semikaro, Ozi, and Kilelengwani, among others.

Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta imposed a curfew on Tana River residents in a bid to avert violence that had claimed lives and rendered many homeless.

Locals were not allowed to be outside their homes between 6pm and 6am.

The President later lifted the curfew following requests by leaders, led by the county governor, but warned of stringent measures if the violent flared up again.

In April last year, over 6,000 families affected by the fighting faced double tragedy after their houses were washed away by floods.

Those who fled their homes following the tribal clashes between the Pokomo and Orma returned to their villages less than a month only to be displaced by floods after River Tana burst its bank.