We, the Chairmen/Chairpersons of the Internally Displaced Persons Camps set down herein below vehemently and strongly object to the use of IDPs' plight by certain people seeking to make political mileage out of our suffering.
During the political campaign in the runner up to the 2007 General Elections certain politicians incited their followers to inflict pain and suffering upon us for the sole reason that we exercised our constitutional and democratic right to elect a leader of our choice.
The campaigns of isolation whereby communities were incited against others became the hallmark of the 2007 Elections. Violence was visited upon our membership beginning September, 2007 in Kuresoi in Molo District with the sole purpose of disenfranchising our membership.
On 27th December, 2007 violence was visited upon our members in Mumias Town while on 29th December, 2007 parts of Uasin Gishu District violence was witnessed in Lelmok in Kesses Division. Wide scale violence against our membership intensified after the announcement of the disputed Presidential poll results.
From 301h December, 2007 our lives have been hell on Earth. Hundreds of our members were killed and hundreds more maimed and our women and children raped. For close to six months we were confined in IDP Camps far away from our original farms.
Later the government endeavored to resettle us. The Ministry of State for Special Programmes in the Office of the President has been distributing food to our membership since the beginning of our problems.
There has, however, been instances when there has been delays in the delivery of the foodstuff but these instances have been far and wide and the Ministry has responded to complaints promptly.
As the leaders of the people who bore the brunt of the senseless politically instigated violence, we take great exception to the use of our plight by politicians and civil society to gain political mileage or to justify their continued funding by the donor community.
The truth of the matter is that the most vocal politicians were the cause of the circumstances we find ourselves in today. Very few of these politicians have ever visited us in the camps to condole us or provide us with any assistance leave alone apologize to the Nation for turning Kenyans against Kenyans.
On the other hand, the Civil Society in no small way contributed to the fuelling of the violence visited upon our membership by giving credence to the claim of a stolen Presidential Election.
The said Civil Society has been missing in action in as far as assisting in the amelioration of our situation.
We, as the leaders of our suffering membership pray that both politicians, Civil Society and other self - seekers keep off the issues of the IDPs unless they are willing to contribute positively to the alleviation of our suffering.
We wish to thank the Government for assistance that we have received this far and its promise to continue assisting us until we are back on our feet again.
We wish our membership a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
PETER KARIUKI
CHAIRMAN
IDP CAMP - NAKURU
BEATRICE NYOKABI
CHAIRPERSON
IDP CAMP - NAIVASHA
JAMES MUCHINA
CHAIRMAN
IDP CAMP - ELDORET
PAUL MOGIRE SINDANI
CHAIRMAN
IDP CAMP - MOLO
Press Release by Kenyan IDPs
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