Playing hide-and-seek with IDP’S is a shameful game

by Mike Owuor

With unending headline grabbing political drama, it is easy to forget that thousands of Kenyans displaced in the violent aftermath of the 2007 General Election still live in camps.

Assigned the NGO term, Internally Displaced persons (IDPs), which has gained currency, they remain a scar that won’t go away no matter how much window dressing the Government attempts. Last week IDP families in Mawingu Camp, Ol Kalou, were stopped when they attempted a trek to State House to seek President Kibaki’s intervention in resettling them.

Trek another day

Keen to enforce a version of reality with a heavy coating of half-truths, the police ferried them back to the camp. The IDPs have, however, vowed to live to trek another day if they are not compensated and resettled.

PointBlank notes that since last year, the Government has made commendable efforts to close down camps, amid swirling allegations of corruption and claims of fake IDPs. It seems not enough has been done.

This is a matter Special Programmes Minister Naomi Shaban should give priority.