Bernard Namunane
23 April 2008
Nairobi — The Government will go ahead and resettle internal refugees in the Rift Valley despite resistance from area MPs.
President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga were in agreement yesterday on the need to start the process of resettlement as MPs from the region demanded more time to prepare the ground for the return of some 150,000 people living in camps.
The two leaders came face-to-face with the resistance from the Rift Valley MPs during a meeting at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, which was called to seek ways of removing obstacles preventing the return of people uprooted from their homes during the post-election violence in which over 1,200 people were killed and property worth billions of shillings burnt down.
Opposing plans
In a demonstration of the split between the Government and MPs from parts of Rift Valley, particularly the Nakuru region on the one hand and lawmakers from North and South Rift on the other, two sets of press briefings were held at Parliament Buildings at the end of the talks, with each side stating its position.
Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto, who led members from South and North Rift in opposing immediate resettlement plans said: "The President and the Prime Minister want to proceed with the resettlement of IDPs and they are touring the area as from Thursday.
"However, we are saying that we need time to prepare the ground for the return of displaced people. Resettlement of IDPs is a process and it cannot start tomorrow because even the IDPs have to be consulted."
Mr Ruto and Cherangany MP Joseph Kutuny said the meeting with President Kibaki and Mr Odinga had agreed to form a committee of lawmakers under the leadership of Special Programmes minister Naomi Shaban to agree on details of the resettlement plan.
"The final decision on whether the displaced people should be resettled immediately or not could be reached next week by the committee.
"The President and the Prime Minister are touring the affected area to see for themselves the situation on the ground. We need time to prepare for their return," said Mr Kutuny.
Took over chairs
The North Rift MPs had hardly moved away from the venue of the press conference when Central Rift leaders took over the chairs and declared that resettlement of displaced people must start immediately and without any conditions.
Led by assistant ministers Mwangi Kiunjuri and Ndiritu Muriithi, they accused their colleagues from South and North Rift of seeking excuses to extend the stay of internal refugees in camps whose conditions had deteriorated.
"No conditions should be attached to the immediate resettlement of displaced people. The Government should not allow a certain group that is dissatisfied with the way the cake was shared on their side to use IDPs to blackmail the Government," said Mr Kiunjuri.
Mr Muriithi urged the Government to urgently address resettlement of the refugees as a priority and told leaders to divorce politics from the plight of people who were ejected from their homes.
"It is a shame that some political leaders are playing politics with the misfortune that had befallen on our people.
"We are telling them that they should not use IDPs as political pawns and erase from their minds the belief that most IDPs were occupying land that was not theirs," he said.
The two sets of leaders had just attended the KICC meeting where they were addressed by President Kibaki, Prime Minister Odinga and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka on the need for displaced people to return to their homes immediately.
The meeting was called to address the security concerns of the refugees who were ready to return to their homes and the demands of the locals that issues of land ownership and ethnic relations be addressed.
However, the President, the PM and the VP left the two-and-a-half-hour meeting without addressing journalists.
Only the President's speech in the meeting and a brief on the progress on mitigation and resettlement of IDPs were issued by the Presidential Press Service.
In his speech, President Kibaki outlined the measures that the Government had taken to address the plight of internal refugees but noted that most of them were still in camps because they feared for their security.
That was why, he said, he had convened the meeting to seek the cooperation of the region's MPs to assist in the safe return of the refugees.
"Many displaced people remain in camps mainly because they are not yet comfortable enough to return to their homes. It is clear that for this initiative to succeed, Kenyans want to hear expressions of commitment and support to the plight of displaced Kenyans from their leaders, right from the grassroots to the national level," he said.
In their speeches, Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka pitched for the cooperation of the MPs in facilitating the quick return of displaced people while sticky issues of land ownership and ethnic relations were being addressed.
"While we seek a solution that is acceptable to all communities in the region, it is a matter of urgency that we resettle our brothers and sisters who are living in deplorable conditions," said the VP.
However, South and North Rift MPs who had prepared a list of concerns that were read by Mr Isaac Ruto wanted the resettlement delayed until issues of land ownership were addressed through the Justice, Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
They also demanded the unconditional release of all those arrested during the post-election violence, a proper census of IDPs and identification of those willing to return to their homes, an end to evictions in Mau Forest, respect of title deeds and withdrawal of special district officers who were sent to the affected areas.
Other demands included an end to the military action in Mt Elgon, withdrawal of firearms in civilian hands, a series of rallies by a committee of MPs to prepare the ground and fair distribution of relief farm inputs.
But it is understood President Kibaki and Mr Odinga stated that while the MPs' demands would be addressed, the meeting had to agree on the immediate return of displaced people who had, within their constitutional rights, bought land and settled in the Rift Valley.
"As Members of Parliament, we are national leaders, not chieftains of our communities. Indeed, I believe many of us are serving constituencies that are multi-ethnic and must, therefore, strive to serve the people of Kenya equally and without discrimination," the President said.
It was then that a vote was called to decide who among those present supported immediate resettlement of IDPs or to allow for more time until sticky issues are resolved.
Although Cabinet ministers Henry Kosgey (Industrialisation), Kipkalya Kones (Roads) and Hellen Sambili (Youth and Sports) voted with those who wanted immediate resettlement, those against the move carried the day.
However, President Kibaki and Mr Odinga insisted that resettlement must go on and told the meeting that they will embark on a three-day tour of the affected areas starting tomorrow.
They will hold the first meeting tomorrow in Eldoret at 10am and proceed to Cherangany in Trans Nzoia for another rally to preach unity and reconciliation at 2.30pm.
On Friday, they will hold their first meeting at Naivasha at 10am and proceed to Kuresoi at 12pm. They will hold a rally in Molo at 2.30pm.
The two leaders will address a meeting at Kipkelion on Saturday at 10am and hold their last rally at Cheptilat in Sotik at 2.30pm.
Yesterday, it was not clear whether the MPs who wanted the return of displaced people delayed would accompany the President and the PM.
However, they declared they were committed to the return of uprooted people through a system that makes it impossible for frequent clashes to recur.
"We are committed to solving this problem. However, we don't want to settle people only for them to be displaced later in fresh eruption of violence simply because underlying problems have not been sorted out," Mr Ruto said.
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