Political leaders from Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties have called upon the ruling Jubilee government to include internally displaced persons – IDPs from the region in the ongoing government resettlement program that is said to be costing up to Ksh. 2 billion.
Speaking in Trans Nzoia the leaders including Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula and Kiminini MP Dr. Chris Wamalwa said that there are thousands of IDPs in Trans Nzoia and Bungoma who have lived in camps and others integrated in relatives after being displaced since the 1991/1992 tribal clashes and the subsequent 1997 clashes and the 2007/2008 post-election violence but have never been considered in any government program for resettlement.
Wetangula said that soon the senate shall receive a bill on IDPs in the country and come up with a special committee to look into the matter especially in areas such as Trans Nzoia whereby the IDPs have never been captured in the resettlement program.
He said that the special committee shall be chaired by Vihiga senator George Khaniri who will lead the committee members to go round the affected areas to collect details of the IDPs in Trans Nzoia and Bungoma among other areas.
He urged the affected persons in the region to avail all the relevant information and names of those who were displaced from their farms and homes in order for them to be factored in the ongoing government resettlement program.
The senator noted that the senate received documents detailing how the government has spent up to Kshs 15 billion to resettle IDPs to date whereby IDPs from other regions have been bought land, houses constructed for them by the government and received Kshs 400,000 from the government to have them resettled.
“We have received documents that show that Kenyan government has spent up to Kshs 15 billion to resettle IDPs in the country for all these years and in some other areas they were bought land, houses build for them and further given Kshs 400,000 for resettling yet here in Trans Nzoia just a few lucky ones managed to receive Kshs 400,000 only as thousands of others have never been captured.
He said that the committee shall identify the genuine and deserving IDPs who should also be bought land, be given money for resettlement and have houses constructed for them by the government the way it has been done to their fellow victims from other regions of the country.
On his part Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa said that Trans Nzoia county has had squatters and IDPs since 1992 and have never been resettled by the government.
He urged the Jubilee government to give priority to the local IDPs and squatters in the area before bringing in IDPs from other counties to be resettled in the county without any consideration of the locals.
He further said that in respect to the late Mama Mercia Muliro who is said to have been assisting some of the IDPs, the government should move in with speed to have the IDPs in the county to be resettled and lead a decent life like any other Kenyans.
“For the respect of Mama Mercia Muliro whom am told was also assisting some of the IDPs, I urge the national government to start with the IDPs in Trans Nzoia in its resettlement program before bringing in IDPs from Nakuru because we have witnessed it happen in Kwanza and Saboti,” Wamalwa said.
SLDF IDPs want resettlement
In the meantime IDPs from Mt. Elgon constituency are perturbed by the Jubilee government’s move not to consider hundreds of IDPs who were displaced from the region in the run to the 2007/2008 post-election violence instigated by the ragtag Sabaot Land Defense Force – SLDF.
Speaking to west fm on phone, the IDPs secretary Bernard Wakhungu said that despite the IDPs from Mt. Elgon being among the affected persons that deserved government consideration for resettlement, they are surprised that none of the affected areas in the Bungoma county has been mentioned in the ongoing government program in which deputy president William Ruto has pointed out Nakuru, Bomet and Uasin Gishu counties as the counties to benefit from the resettlement cash.
He said that despite giving out lists of names of the affected persons from the area to government officers in Bungoma County for many years, the IDPs have never been considered as much as they also engaged in demonstrations to attract the government attention.
Wakhungu wondered why the IDPs were initially included in the earlier government program of Kshs 10,000 and Kshs 25,000 that was given to them by the Kibaki government only to be left out by the Jubilee government in the real resettlement program.
“It is so surprising that the government has focused its energies and funds to specific regions of the country and leaving out others that have had IDPs from as early as 1992 hence we wonder if we are also part of Kenya or not.” He said.
“We were the most affected here, bearing in mind that the SLDF started displacing people from 2006 and culminated into part of the post-election violence of 2007/2008. We call for equal consideration of government resettlement of all the affected Kenyans,” added Wakhungu.
He said the IDPs are now considering staging a peaceful demonstration so that the government can hear their voice and factor them in the program before it is closed.
Petition land bill
On the ongoing discussion on the land bill in parliament, Wamalwa said that land issues are always contentious and thus the civil society and elders from the area should petition the bill so that the laws are passed in accordance with the constitution.
He said that he and other parliamentarians have noted some inconsistencies in the bill hence they need support from the civil society and other lobby groups to petition the bill which he said had not captured some historical injustices among other contentious issues related to land ownership.
“We are urging elders from this region and the civil society to bring some memorandum in the parliament to petition the bill so that the laws are passed in accordance with the constitution,” Wamalwa said.
He said that the move is in line with article 118 of the constitution of the public participation to lobby for the necessary changes that should be included in the bill before it is passed into law bearing in mind that land issues are managed by the National Land Commission in conjunction with the National Government.