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Kenya: Evictions Crisis Worse,
Says Lobby
The Nation (Nairobi)
17 January 2008
Watoro Kamau and Jeff Otieno
Nairobi
The Government was Wednesday urged to move with speed and
establish the number of people displaced in post-election violence
in parts of Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza provinces.
A lobby for the displaced persons said the crisis was much bigger
than what Kenyans had been made to believe.
The coordinator of the Internally Displaced Persons Network, Mr
Kefa Magenyi, said people were being evicted from their homes on a
daily basis despite the presence of security personnel in areas
hit by violence.
Toured camps
Mr Magenyi was speaking to reporters after he toured several camps
for displaced families.
He was accompanied by Ms Noel Calhoun of United Nations Children's
Fund, Mr Andrew Timson of United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees and the country director of Save the Children, Ms Jan
Coffey. Also present was Nakuru district commissioner Wilson
Wanyanga.
The officials visited Dundori, Kiamaina, Subukia, Wanyororo and
Kabazi, a few kilometres from Nakuru Town where the displaced
people were camping.
Hundreds of people at the centres had been moved from Nakuru ASK
Showground due to congestion.
The team had on Tuesday toured camps in Ndeffo, Kihingo and Naishi.
On Wednesday, Mr Magenyi said families were being evicted from
their homes in Kianjoya, Milimani, Ndeffo, Lusilo and Stoo Mbili
in Molo constituency despite Government pledge to beef up security
in clash-hit areas.
"The Government needs to carry out an assessment about the
magnitude of the problem as more people were being evicted from
their homes on a daily basis," he said.
Mr Magenyi added that other displaced persons were camping in such
places as Murinduko, Temuyota, Tegea, Kamwaura and Karirikania in
Kuresoi constituency.
Poor security
He said the victims were unable to move out of the centres due to
poor state of security in the constituency.
Meanwhile, a group of professionals drawn from four provinces have
asked the Government to immediately launch investigations into the
controversial presidential vote-tallying process to resolve crisis
occasioned by flawed electoral process.
The professionals drawn from Nyanza, Western, Coast and Rift
Valley provinces said the state had the political capacity and
legal mechanisms to audit the balloting process through the
Judiciary.
"Justice must remain our shield and defender; the truth must
continue its life as an essential companion to a man, a people and
a country of conscience," the group said in a statement.
The experts added that once investigations were completed, it
would be easy for the nation to embark on social reconciliation
and reconstruction under a legal framework guided by the
Constitution.
The group warned more mass action activities involving labour
disruption would further affect the already battered economy.
Encourage dialogue
The statement urged ODM to encourage dialogue and reconciliation
saying it was the best way of resolving the current political
impasse.
The professionals, residing in the four provinces worst hit by the
post-election violence, condemned the loss of lives and wanton
plunder and destruction of property of innocent Kenyans.
They said the last three weeks had exposed Kenya as a nation in a
hurry to expunge itself from the league of civilised countries.
The economy, the professionals said, had been negatively affected,
adding that it would take a long time for Kisumu and Eldoret towns
to stabilise again.
The professionals said some of their colleagues had been unable to
report back to their respective workstations as a result of
transport hitches and insecurity.
Kenyans, they said, should embark on a process of healing,
reconciliation and forgiveness as soon as possible, saying the
folly of fighting battles where more lives will be lost would be a
defeat rather than victory.
The professionals said residents must not give credence to the
perception of Africa being a dark continent awash with famine,
war, genocide, graft and disease.
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