Internally Displaced Kenyans
Posted in Latest News on October 3rd, 2008
Internally displaced people camping at the Eldoret Showground.
The camp has over 13,000 people. Photo/JARED NYATAYA
The Waki Commission on post-election violence was on Wednesday putting final touches to its report as it emerged that over 80,000 people who were affected were still languishing in camps around the country.
And at least 220,000 others were still living on doles from the Kenya Red Cross, in their homes and refugee camps spread around the country.
Details on the status of the uprooted people comes a day after former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan who brokered the peace accord singled it out as one of the foremost outstanding issues to be resolved.
He was in the country to receive the Kriegler report and meet with President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga and issued a statement on his departure on Monday.
Solution
The statement said in part: “The situation of IDPs is on the minds of virtually all Kenyans I met. A durable solution must be found expeditiously.”
Members of the Commission of Inquiry on Post-election Violence headed by Mr Justice Philip Waki remained holed up at a retreat in South Coast and promised the report would be handed to President Kibaki even before the October 15 deadline.
And the Nation received from the Government and the Red Cross details of the status of internally displaced people in the country, the Kenyans who paid a heavy price following the disputed presidential results that precipitated mayhem.
The focus shifted from Kriegler report that analysed the flawed electoral process, which was released last week to the Waki commission.
The secretary George Kegoro declared: “We have enough evidence to recommend measures to prevent the country from witnessing the violence it did after the 2007 elections”.
Hundreds of displaced people blocked Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s motorcade in Kisumu and demanded audience.
