Forgotten IDPs in Mount Elgon

By Kinuthia Njoroge

There are internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been forgotten. These are 350 families displaced during the Mount Elgon clashes, according to Cheruo Levi Cheptora.

Cheptora claims that these families are still out in the cold despite the Government releasing Sh180 million to find them new homes. He, however, reveals that “a handful” of the IDPs were resettled last year, but the rest are still waiting impatiently while “struggling with their empty stomachs, cold nights and other traumatising things”.

Cheptora accuses the area MP of failing to stand up for his suffering electorate. As he is certain the MP will soon come back to plead with voters to send him back to parliament, he wants him to “do something tangible as soon as possible”.

Punishment

“It must be known that these are legitimate IDPs whose tribulations are known here and beyond; they witnessed horrific murders and maiming of their beloved ones and are in dire need of assistance!” Ever heard about this forgotten lot Special Programmes minister Esther Murugi? How about you, Lands minister James Orengo?

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Uncomfortable constables

When Police Service Commission is up and running, says a disgruntled police officer, the new Inspector General of Police and his commanders might want to pursue a matter that is close to the hearts of many officers. It concerns career progression, or better still, lack of it.

Many police officers are stuck in one rank from employment to retirement – constable. “There are no hopes except to learn to live as a failure in a career that demands much patriotism and provides the least space for actual delivery of security services.” Promotion of deserving police officers, he says can boost officers’ morale and esteem.

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DON’T YOU FORGET

Do we have enough coins now, Prof Ndung’u

A shopper from Ruai in Nairobi wrote to PointBlank on March 6 complaining that he had been forced to take a lollipop, instead of Sh6, at Quickmart Supermarket because the shop, according to a cashier, did not have any coins. On protesting, the cashier pointed a finger at an A4-size poster on the wall behind her warning of a shortage of coins.

Around the same time we also received several complaints regarding shortage of coins in supermarkets from shoppers who had been forced to take sweets they never asked for, for ‘change’. Consequently, we asked Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung’u whether the shortage was real and whether he had taken any steps to alleviate the shortage. Prof Ndung’u, do we have enough coins in circulation now or the ‘sweet’ coins still doing the trick?