The National Internally Displaced people (IDP) network have appealed to the government to implement the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) report on IDP’s before the 2022 general election.
The more than 190,000 IDP’s said the implementation of the report would be a major milestone to the government commitment to settle the issue of IDP’s uprooted from their homes since 1997 and are yet to be compensated or resettled.
The IDP Network National Coordinator, Raphael Eyanai said implementation of the report would also go a long way in addressing the plight of IDPs who are yet to be compensated by the government as promised by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015.
He said majority of those who are yet to be compensated are Integrated IDPs who sought refuge among relatives following the 2007/2008 post-election violence.
“The TJRC report gives clear guidelines to the government on how to conclude IDPs resettlement in the entire country,” said Eyanai, adding that if the report was to be implemented in its entirety as the President once promised, the issue of IDP’s that crops up every election year would be a thing of the past.
He was speaking in Eldoret during a press briefing on Monday where he said President Uhuru Kenyatta promised in his 2019 state of the nation address that the TJRC report would be used to conclude IDP’s resettlement.
The President in 2015 also directed Treasury to set aside Sh.10 billion Restorative Fund to address implementation of TJRC report as well as resettling all IDPs.
The national coordinator said the government should undertake the resettlement of IDP’s as a matter of urgency.
“Our wish is to see all IDPs resettled as part of all Kenyans joining hands in reconciliation and forgiveness through the spirit of Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) among other related efforts of uniting all Kenyans before 2022,” said Eyanai.
However, he hailed the government for spending over Sh.19 billion on IDPs resettlement and other related programmes since 2008.
During IDP resettlement the government-assisted more than 300,000 IDP’s return to their homes through the Operation Rudi Nyumbani Programme.
By Kiptanui Cherono
