Sollo Kiragu And Michael Njuguna
9 May 2008
Nairobi — More than 45,000 uprooted people in Rift Valley have been resettled on their farms.
Rift Valley PC Noor Hassan Noor on Thursday said they expected to resettle more than 120,000 victims and close down all camps in the province in the next three weeks.
He told the Nation that Operation Rudi Nyumbani was on and criticised some NGOs operating in the region for frustrating Government efforts to move the refugees back to their farms.
"The exercise is going on smoothly, but we are shocked by some NGOs who are ill-advising the displaced people not to move back to their farms, and since we have identified them, we shall take stern action against them," the PC said.
Elsewhere, more than 1,200 refugees who had been camping at Moto IPCA Church in Molo Town had returned to their farms by midday Thursday, but 89 vowed not to go back.
The camp manager, Mr James Ndung'u, said the camp had been holding 1,486 refugees mainly from Arimi, Tebere, Nyakinyua, Temuyotta, Sondu River, Sitoito, Chebonde, Ndeffo and Kadenye farms.
"There is still a problem of food, water and tents for those who have returned to their farms," he said.
Mr Ndung'u said there were reports that some of the families that had returned to their farms did not have clean drinking water.
"Some of them fear that carcasses of dogs were dropped in the wells and are reluctant to drink the water," he said.
Cited insecurity
Mr Ndung'u said military lorries had also been ferrying families that had been living in rented houses in Molo Town back to their homes in Kuresoi.
He said that those reluctant to return to their farms cited insecurity and lack of food as the main reasons.
In Kipkelion, more than 4,000 displaced persons are yet to be resettled, according to the area DC.
Mr Aden Halake said that he was optimistic they would be resettled by Friday. He said most of the victims did not have land and the houses they rented had been reduced to ashes.
Mr Halake said 15,007 families had gone back to their farms since Operation Rudi Nyumbani started in the area. "We are giving them food rations for one month and providing them with tents," he said.
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