More than 1,200 IDPs in Rift Valley have now returned to their newly constructed houses which they had abandoned for two years. Most of the houses are located in Uasin Gishu County where 200 other houses constructed by the government are yet to be occupied by IDPs. Rift Valley deputy PC Wanyama Musiambo said they expect all IDPs to return to the new houses. “We have returned to full normalcy in this region and no IDP should fear returning to their houses because of insecurity,” Musiambo said.
Currently more than 100 IDPs are still in camps in the region, waiting to be resettled. Some of the IDPs had refused to return to their houses demanding that they should be resettled elsewhere due to insecurity. The government however rejected their demand saying there were no security threats in the region. About 8,000 of the IDPs who did not have land before the 2007/08 post-election violence are waiting to be given alternative settlement in Rift Valley.
The government and donors reconstructed more than 30,000 houses for IDPs in the Rift Valley region which was worst affected by the post election violence. The government had bought the Chemusian Farm near Burnt Forest to settle the IDP but squatters in the area resisted the move arguing that they should be given land first.
Musiambo said the government plans to resettle all the IDPs before the end of this year. Some of the IDPs still in camps are living at Naka and Yamumbi near Eldoret town. Most of the IDPs in Burnt Forest have returned to their homes. Spokesman for the IDPs in Eldoret James Mburu said they are satisfied with the ongoing resettlement plans and that the government had give them enough support since the time they returned to their farms. “The supply of farm inputs like fertilizer and seeds has really helped us to return our lives better situations”, said Mburu
Source- http://www.nairobistar.com/local/rift-valley/35764-1200-idps-return-to-rift-valley-farms
