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Kenya: Displaced People to Return to Their Farms
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
5 May 2008
Posted to the web 5 May 2008
Anderson Ojwang
Nairobi
Resettlement of displaced people starts Monday.
Government officials are confident that following the construction of 32 police stations and hundreds of administration police posts, the exercise will succeed.
But a section of the displaced, human rights activists, religious and political leaders say peace building and reconciliation should have been given a chance.
They say the exercise should involve the local community, religious and political leaders, youth and the Government to ensure its sustainability.
The resettlement comes after President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga's tour of Rift Valley.
Rift Valley PC, Mr Hassan Noor Hassan, has denied claims that the exercise is forceful, saying it has support of the local community, political and religious leaders.
"Neighbours have told us they are ready to accept the displaced people. Our role is to facilitate their return," he said.
Noor said there has been a two-month peace building and reconciliation process that had created trust and confidence between the two groups.
Noor said 40,000 displaced people had returned to their farms and 150,000 will be resettled from today.
The same number lives outside the province and is expected to return for resettlement. "We will give money, food, water and medicine to the displaced and their neighbours," Noor said.
He said the business community affected by the post-election violence in Eldoret, Kitale, Kericho and other towns had returned.
However, Pastor Lucas says it is unsafe for those uprooted from the villages to be resettled because police posts will not guarantee their safety.
Speaking at the Eldoret showground camp, Pastor Lucas Maina said IDPs want to be compensated to look for alternative pieces of land.
Dr William Tuimising of Deliverance Church, Rev Maritim Rirei of the Anglican Church and human rights activist, Mr Ken Wafula, say more consultations should have been done.
They say the process is complex and delicate and requires involvement of all players.
Tuimising says structures that would ensure faster resettlement and non-recurrence of violence should be created. "Government should involve us in the process to ensure the success and sustainability of the exercise," he says.
Rirei says building of bridges and trust between the two groups should not be overlooked as it is the foundation of unity and peaceful co-existence. "We should not rush the exercise. This is a serious issue," he says.
Wafula said the use of force would only lead to intimidation of both players and create mistrust, which leaders are fighting to weed out.
"We must first bring these people together and ensure they forgive one another," he says.
Eldoret East MP, Prof Margaret Kamar, said peace building and reconciliation exercise is a complex undertaking and needs structures to help both parties build trust and live together in peace and harmony.
She said Kibaki and Raila's visit of the region was the opening avenue for peace building and culmination into final resettlement.
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"We want to make another and that is why we have held meetings with elders, civic and religious leaders," she said.
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