Nyamira OCPD shoots demonstrating IDP

One Internally Displaced Person (IDP), Mr Charles Kamanda has been shot in Nyamira town.

The injured was among several IDPs who were protesting today morning in Nyamira over delayed and skewed payments.

Area OCPD Mr Rico Ngare was also injured as the IDPs engaged police in running battles.

He was later driven off in a police car to unknown destination.

The IDP was immediately rushed to Nyamira County Hospital.

An eye witness, Benard Osombi has told the Standard that the victim accosted the OCPD and started throwing stones at him as he was leaving the mosque forcing him to shoot at the IDP.

The mosque is located a few meters from the police station where more than 500 IDPs had stormed demanding the arrest of some their officials whom they accused of having interfered with the original list.

Administration police officers leaving in a nearby camp quickly responded to the shooting and rescued the two.

However, the victim couldn't receive immediate medical attention owing to the ongoing nurse’s strike which has affected medical services in public hospital across the country.

Political leaders from the region including Governor John Nyagarama and Kitutu Masaba in were in the town for a political meeting condemned the incident saying proper mechanisms should be put in place in the compensation plans.

Bosire has hit at the Government saying the IDPs from the region were getting a low deal in the compensation plan.

"The government must come out and tell us who these people that are getting payments are. We need an explanation as to why the government has taken 10 years to issue the funds," said Bosire.

Nyamira and Kisii County Commissioners had postponed the compensation process saying the list will be vetted before beneficiaries are allowed to access their money.

Early today morning IDPs from Masaba South and North also held demonstrations in Keroka over similar issues of delayed payment.

Three weeks ago, while in a campaign trail in Gusii President Uhuru Kenyatta gave out Sh385 million and Sh475 million for the Kisii and Nyamira IDPs.

Kisii has 7100 while Nyamira has 9100 IDPs in the compensation plan.

By last week less than 2000 IDPs had received their money.

The National Network of IDPs patron Evans Misati had explained that it could be difficult to select genuine IDPs from the list that had been used to release the funds.