IDPs get new lease of life after years in the cold

By  KARANJA NJOROGE

After four years in the camps, Mau Forest evictees have a reason to smile after President Uhuru Kenyatta launched a Sh832 million cash payment programme for their resettlement on Saturday.

The President kicked off the programme where 2,098 families which have been living in squalid conditions on the edges of the water tower will  receive Sh400,000 each to restart their  lives. The evictees were overcome with joy when the first batch of beneficiaries received their cheques from the President during a ceremony at Kiplamaiywa in Kuresoi, Nakuru County.

Evictees from the Kapkembu camp, which was among the first IDP camps set up by the Mau forest families trooped to the venue in droves.

Some of the displaced persons could harly hold back their tears after the Jubilee government honoured its campaign pledge to facilitate their resettlement.

“We have been living in deplorable conditions since 2009 when we were flushed out of South Western Mau and we are grateful that our prayers have been answered’’ said Walter Kirui.

He said with his family would look for land to buy with the money allocated to them by the Government  and invest in an income generating project.

Addressing the evictees, the President ordered Lands Minister Charity Ngilu to lift a caveat banning  the sale of land  in areas around Mau forest  after local leaders said it was  hindering development and acquisition of land.

“I am calling on the Minister to ensure it is removed within two weeks,” Uhuru said. The Presiden accompanied by his Deputy William Ruto and senior Jubilee leaders were ferried to the venue of the meeting of by nine helicopters.

Ruto said the Caveat should be lifted to enable the families who intend to settle in the area  to  use the funds  to acquire land. ‘’We have been having the problem of the caveat in this area and it should be lifted to enable those who wish to purchase land here to do so,’’ he added.

The Mau forest evictions dominated campaign  meetings in Rift Valley ahead of the  March 4 elections  as politicians sought to gain political mileage.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was largely blamed as the chief architect of the evictions, which led to his fall out with Ruto and Rift Valley MPs prior to the elections.

Uhuru said the cash payment programme to the evictees was to honour  the Jubilee campaign promise  to have the families resettled within 100 days  of his  Government.

“We have come here to honour our campaign pledge which for one reason or the other we had not been able to implement as promised,’’ the President said. Some of the  evictees, however,  said that their names  were not in the list of those to  receive funds  yet they  were among people flushed out of the forest.

‘’We have many IDPs missing from the list  while some who were not evicted are earmarked  to benefit from the funds and we want the issue addressed,’’ said Phillip Lang’at

Lang’at  said he had tried to raise the issue  with the local provincial administration in  vain  despite  providing evidence  of being  displaced during the eviction exercise.

Prisca Cherono from Terta  camp also said she was shocked after realising that her name was  also missing from the list of the beneficiaries.

The evictees recalled  the suffering they had undergone in the camps including dying of preventable diseases and  going without basic needs including food and shelter.

Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot said there were two list of names  from the Ministry of Special Programmes and another one from  the provincial administration. ‘’We are asking that the two lists be harmonized to ensure  to remove the confusion,’’ the MP said.

Cheruiyot  revisited the evictions which were aimed at  restoring the vital water tower saying  it was  carried out in an inhumane way  and blamed the former Prime Minister.

“What happened here is the kind of inhumane treatment that should never been allowed any where in the world,’’ he said.

Families issued with the cheques  will not  be allowed to return to the  camps  which will be closed immediately and secured by  security forces.

Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary  Anne Waiguru said 505 families from the Kapkembu camp will receive the  funds  totalling Sh202 million. She said the  remaining families in other camps would receive their moneyfrom Monday  in their respective bank accounts. The President later visited  the neighbouring Kiptororo  IDP camp where he  issued some of the families with the cheques.

Uhuru said the money if well utilized has the potential to change their lives and empower them economically  after years of suffering in the forest.

Among those who accompanied  the President were Cabinet  Secretaries Joseph Ole Lenku (Interior), Najib Balala (Mining), Felix Koskei (Agriculture) and  majority leader Aden Dualle.

Others were Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua  MP Asman Kamama and nominated Senator Liz Chelule.