25 April 2008
Nairobi — Leaflets threatening people who had returned to their farms in Trans Nzoia East District surfaced as President Kibaki visited the area with a message of reconciliation.
The leaflets sent fresh fear among close to 14,000 people who had returned to their homes at Geta Farm. However, President Kibaki assured those who were already back on their farms of Government security.
The Government provided 17, 000 roofing sheets to the displaced people in Trans Nzoia East district. Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny said there was still fear among the people. He said leaders from the area were not opposed to the resettlement of the election violence victims.
Joint committee
He suggested that a joint committee of members from the rival communities be set up to resolve their differences. As the meeting went on, he claimed, there was a parallel one at Cheptopok Village instigating violence against those who had gone back to their farms.
The President said clashes that were witnessed following the disputed presidential election results will never erupt again adding that the Government had put in place security measures. Meanwhile, the Africa Inland Church yesterday called for the immediate resettlement of the internal refugees.
The church also hailed the initiative by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga of visiting the Rift-Valley region.
Decision-making
The Central Church Council (CCC), which is the top decision-making organ of the church and which met in Nairobi on Wednesday, agreed that the visit by the two leaders would enhance the healing process in the region.
The council also set up a 10-man national committee whose members are drawn from all the provinces in the country to prepare the church to effectively respond to crises such as the one that faced the country after the December polls. Rift-Valley is one of the provinces that was hardest hit by the violence, which claimed more than 1,200 lives and saw more than 350,000 people uprooted from their homes.
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