Land parcels identified to resettle 17,000 IDPs

By Cyrus Ombati

The Government has announced plans to resettle more than 17,000 displaced persons by December.

Ministries of Lands and Special Programmes announced parcels of land have been identified where the profiled persons will be settled before the end of the year. They include post-election violence victims and persons evicted from forestland.

Ministers James Orengo and Esther Murugi said more than 7,000 were displaced from forests while the rest were displaced during post-election violence.

Orengo said those who had been displaced from Mau, Embubut, Mt Elgon, and Kieni forests will be among the 7,000 who will be given priority.

He hinted the first group will be resettled beginning next month and the rest who include those camping in Turkana will follow.

The minister said the Government had paid Sh2.6 billion directly to IDPs who were profiled and that the Provincial Administration would be conducting fresh profiling for those to be paid.

The ministers said the Government has been facing challenges in trying to resettle the groups because some of them had been reluctant to take up available land.

They added politicians have been inciting IDPs to demand to be resettled without knowledge of the processes of acquiring land, which are long and intriguing.

The targeted groups are in 21 camps and those living there will have new houses and a token to start up their lives. “These IDPs need social amenities wherever they will settle and it is the responsibility of the Government to construct them. The process involves so many ministries, which makes it cumbersome to do once and for all,” said Orengo.

Their promise came in the wake of protests by some of the IDPs in Naivasha and Central Province demanding Government action.

The minister called for calm among IDPs, saying they would have to wait for the formulation of policies to help address their plight.