Watoro Kamau and Jeff Otieno
17 January 2008
Nairobi — The Government was Wednesday urged to move with speed and establish the number of people displaced in post-election violence in parts of Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza provinces.
A lobby for the displaced persons said the crisis was much bigger than what Kenyans had been made to believe.
The coordinator of the Internally Displaced Persons Network, Mr Kefa Magenyi, said people were being evicted from their homes on a daily basis despite the presence of security personnel in areas hit by violence.
Toured camps
Mr Magenyi was speaking to reporters after he toured several camps for displaced families.
He was accompanied by Ms Noel Calhoun of United Nations Children's Fund, Mr Andrew Timson of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the country director of Save the Children, Ms Jan Coffey. Also present was Nakuru district commissioner Wilson Wanyanga.
The officials visited Dundori, Kiamaina, Subukia, Wanyororo and Kabazi, a few kilometres from Nakuru Town where the displaced people were camping.
Hundreds of people at the centres had been moved from Nakuru ASK Showground due to congestion.
The team had on Tuesday toured camps in Ndeffo, Kihingo and Naishi.
On Wednesday, Mr Magenyi said families were being evicted from their homes in Kianjoya, Milimani, Ndeffo, Lusilo and Stoo Mbili in Molo constituency despite Government pledge to beef up security in clash-hit areas.
"The Government needs to carry out an assessment about the magnitude of the problem as more people were being evicted from their homes on a daily basis," he said.
Mr Magenyi added that other displaced persons were camping in such places as Murinduko, Temuyota, Tegea, Kamwaura and Karirikania in Kuresoi constituency.
Poor security
He said the victims were unable to move out of the centres due to poor state of security in the constituency.
Meanwhile, a group of professionals drawn from four provinces have asked the Government to immediately launch investigations into the controversial presidential vote-tallying process to resolve crisis occasioned by flawed electoral process.
The professionals drawn from Nyanza, Western, Coast and Rift Valley provinces said the state had the political capacity and legal mechanisms to audit the balloting process through the Judiciary.
"Justice must remain our shield and defender; the truth must continue its life as an essential companion to a man, a people and a country of conscience," the group said in a statement.
The experts added that once investigations were completed, it would be easy for the nation to embark on social reconciliation and reconstruction under a legal framework guided by the Constitution.
The group warned more mass action activities involving labour disruption would further affect the already battered economy.
Encourage dialogue
The statement urged ODM to encourage dialogue and reconciliation saying it was the best way of resolving the current political impasse.
The professionals, residing in the four provinces worst hit by the post-election violence, condemned the loss of lives and wanton plunder and destruction of property of innocent Kenyans.
They said the last three weeks had exposed Kenya as a nation in a hurry to expunge itself from the league of civilised countries.
The economy, the professionals said, had been negatively affected, adding that it would take a long time for Kisumu and Eldoret towns to stabilise again.
The professionals said some of their colleagues had been unable to report back to their respective workstations as a result of transport hitches and insecurity.
Kenyans, they said, should embark on a process of healing, reconciliation and forgiveness as soon as possible, saying the folly of fighting battles where more lives will be lost would be a defeat rather than victory.
The professionals said residents must not give credence to the perception of Africa being a dark continent awash with famine, war, genocide, graft and disease.
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