Peter Opiyo
24 April 2008
Nairobi — Rift Valley MPs have dropped the hardline stance they had taken on Tuesday over President Kibaki's tour of the province today.
They said they backed the visit and would welcome the Head of State as he starts a three-day tour of the province that bore the brunt of post-election violence.
However, they still felt they had not been involved and were not prepared to offer much when Kibaki meets the displaced today.
Secretary to the Rift Valley MPs, Mr David Koech, said the President's visit had been hastened without having put up the necessary structures for resettlement.
"There is need to prepare the ground so that we have something like a baraza la wazee both from the camps and from the villages. These two groups should then accompany the President on his visits," Koech told The Standard.
He said the region's MPs would only accompany the President if they are invited but even then, they would not be prepared to tackle the resettlement issue.
As we went to press, Koech said about five MPs, excluding himself, had received invitations via SMS.
"We should not have been invited because we should have been involved. But we welcome the President, assuming that he is preparing the ground," said Koech.
He said there was also need to identify the genuinely displaced people before they were compensated as well as integrating those displaced from Mt Elgon due to the police operations.
The Mosop MP also called on the Government to release those arrested over post-election violence.
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