Kenneth Ogosia
6 June 2008
Nairobi — The Sh31 billion resettlement programme could run into trouble if donors do not release the funds they pledged, a Government policy document says.
This could result in failure by the Grand Coalition Government to undertake the National Reconciliation and Emergency Social and Economic Recovery Programme negotiated under the Kofi Annan accord.
The programme was expected to start on March 31 and end on June 30, but the Government has only raised Sh1.2 billion, leaving a deficit of Sh30 billion.
This is contained in a report of the committee developed during the harmonisation of the manifestos of PNU, ODM and ODM-Kenya, which an economist, Mr George Ojema, describes as the panacea for a lasting coalition government.
The Government is already using the available Sh1.2 billion for the resettlement of people who had been living in camps, reconstruction of infrastructure and jump-starting the healing process.
The harmonised document outlines intersectoral approaches to the Grand Coalition Government agenda but another document titled Report of the National Accord Implementation Committee on National Reconciliation and Emergency Social and Economic Recovery Strategy, depicts the Government as broke and says donors who pledged funds for the reconciliation programme have seemingly back-tracked.
According to the document, the comprehensive programme should have kicked off on March 31.
The resettlement and reconstruction committee was allocated Sh10 million.
The district peace committee had been established and was allocated Sh75 million while national rebranding through media advertisements, supplements and advocacy together with public barazas by stakeholders was to consume Sh150 million from April 15 to June 31.
Music programmes and other social activities to promote national healing was to be allocated Sh50 million, counselling of communities and victims of post-election violence had a budget of Sh28 million because 100 experts were to be employed to counsel an estimated 132,058 displaced persons.
Transportation and resettlement of the dispalced was supposed to take up Sh2,275 million while the purchase of food and household goods for an estimated 70,000 people required Sh3.5 million.
Those who had been displaced from their homes were expected to benefit from three-bedroomed houses, each with basic facilities, at a total cost of Sh7,000 million.
Rehabilitation of the education sector and reconstruction of schools, learning and teaching materials was expected to gobble up Sh600 million, while the health sector was supposed to receive Sh263 million.
Agriculture is the only ministry which has already been allocated Sh294 million from an expected Sh446.3 million.
The security services were expected to get Sh300 million to build police posts in regions affected by the post-election violence. Of the Sh20 million budgeted for peace building and conflict resolution, only Sh10 million was disbursed.
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We are all very happy with the bickering among the kenyan leaders and the childish selfishness they revel in as business comes our way giving a wide berth to the murky kenyan territory, thank you mr. kibaki for all the business that you send us in ....... keep it up, mess it up all the more so that you may never ever be a competition to our countries, thank you again mr. kibaki.