Jeff Otieno
26 April 2008
Nairobi — There are 166 camps hosting thousands of internal refugees countrywide.
The number is 134 less the initial number of 300, according to statistics from the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).
Currently, a total of 150,671 men, women and children are still living in camps.
Most of the camps are in the Rift Valley, which witnessed widespread post-election violence following the disputed presidential election last year. Smaller camps are found in parts of Central, Nyanza, Nairobi and Western provinces.
Hosting
Within the Rift Valley, for instance, the North Rift has 41 camps hosting a record 77,588 refugees whereas the South Rift has 79 camps accommodating 49,575 internal refugees.
Nyanza, which also witnessed destruction of property worth millions of shillings, has 15 camps hosting 4,294 displaced people, while the neighbouring Western Province has 16 camps accommodating 14,648 people.
Central Province, which witnessed revenge attacks after violence erupted in the Rift Valley, has nine camps hosting 1,958 refugees, while the capital city has six camps housing 2,608 homeless people.
Most of the camps in Nairobi are in the slums of Eastlands where fierce fighting pitting rival gangs occurred.
"Since the eruption of the post-election violence in December last year, the Rift Valley Province, especially the North Rift region, has been hosting thousands of internal refugees," says KRCS secretary-general Abbas Gullet.
Declined
However, Mr Gullet says the number of refugees in the Rift Valley has declined from a high of 191,000 in early January to 127,163 in April.
In the same period, the number of camps declined from 207 to 120.
"Currently, in the Rift Valley Province alone, there are 120 camps with 127,163 internal refugees. However, these figures have been changing from time to time," he adds.
The KRCS secretary-general says a significant number of refugees in the Rift Valley camps were small-scale businessmen and subsistence farmers, representing a reasonable percentage of the province's economy.
The victims are cut off from their daily activities as many still fear going back to their farms.
Some of the biggest camps are the Nakuru ASK showground, Naivasha Kedong camp, Naivasha Stadium and Eldoret ASK showground.
Others are Burnt Forest in Rift Valley, Ekerenyo in Kisii and Molo camp in the outskirts of Molo Town.
"The big camps host more than 5,000 refugees while the smaller ones have fewer numbers," says Mr Anthony Kamau, a public relations officer at KRCS.
Mr Kamau adds that the figures have declined following the signing of the power-sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga in February.
Supporting
KRCS is already at the forefront supporting the Government with the long-term needs of the displaced persons such as reconstruction of houses and provision of farm inputs.
The organisation expressed concern over an imminent food shortage, saying many farmers are yet to go back to their farms.
He cites a case where refugees from the Eldoret showground camp went to survey their property in Rehema Farm in the North Rift region, but were attacked by the locals.
This isolated case attests to the need for urgent measures by local leaders to rally their constituents to support the resettlement process.
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