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Kenya: Families Return Home to Start Life Afresh
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The Nation (Nairobi)
21 January 2008
Posted to the web 21 January 2008
Barnabas Bii And Angwenyi Gichana
Nairobi
Displaced families in the Rift Valley are slowly returning to their farms to start life afresh.
Relative calm has returned to Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu and Nandi North and South districts as police have contained the election related chaos.
"We will provide maximum security to those willing to return to their farms," Trans Nzoia West DC Seif Matata said.
Nandi North DC Mr Mabeya Mogaka urged the 156 people still camping at the SDA church to return to their farms.
"Maximum security has not been restored in the entire district. We are, however, providing security to those willing to return to their farms," Mr Mogaka said.
In Uasin Gishu District, those displaced have been going to their farms during the day to collect food and other valuables left after their houses were set on fire.
General Service Unit (GSU) personnel, regular and Administration police escort the displaced people in Burnt Forest area to harvest food crops in their farms.
"I have no otherwise but to return to my farm and harvest maize and any other food stuff. We are facing starvation in the camps," said Joseph Maina of Kimuri farm, some 15 kilometres from Eldoret Town.
Ancestral homes
A survey by the Nation showed that transport had resumed as most roads that had been barricaded were cleared. Business in Eldoret Town has returned to normal after shops reopened.
In a related incident, some 17 unclaimed children are among hundreds of people camping at Ekerenyo and Kisii Cathedral over two weeks after they were evacuated from Rift Valley.
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Scores of adults who said they didn't know their original homes in Kisii are also camping in the two places. They claim they were born and brought up in Kuresoi, Nandi and Kericho areas and had never visited their ancestral homes.
The displaced have been receiving support from the Government, local residents, Médecins Sans Frontières, Merlin and the Kenya Red Cross.
Fr Obanyi says the church has sheltered 3,400 displaced victims while the Ikonge camp has sheltered 8,500 since the chaos started, according to Red Cross officials.
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