Children at meal time. Photo: George Arende, CWS/KELC/ACT
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is working with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) and other members of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International to provide assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kenya.
Kenya may have inched closer to a grand coalition with the opening of parliament, but little has changed for the hundreds of people still displaced in the capital, Nairobi.
"My baby is 10 days old, I remain under this tarpaulin tent not knowing what the future holds," Elizabeth Mueni, one of 263 internally displaced persons (IDPs) camping at the Dagoretti district officer's (DO) compound, told IRIN, the United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks.
"I wish I could get some money to rent a house and restart my vegetable-selling business; the windy conditions here are risky for my baby," she said.
Mueni, like most of the thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kenya's urban areas, lived in rental accommodation. Their houses, mainly in slum areas, were either destroyed during post-election violence in January and February or have since been let out to other tenants.
As a result, the IDPs cannot go back to their homes even if they wanted to. Even those who owned homes cannot return because their houses were vandalized, destroyed or occupied illegally.
After the February 28 signing of a power-sharing deal between the country's key political players, ending two months of post-election violence, focus has shifted to the resettlement of IDPs. But Mueni and hundreds like her in Nairobi have yet to find a home.
Government officials say efforts are under way to resettle most of the IDPs.
"The displaced people who had homes are going to show us where they lived and we'll ensure they go back there, and aid agencies are helping by paying a few months' rent for those who cannot go back," said Cornelius Wamalwa, the district officer (DO) for Dagoretti. "We have also started peace initiatives to ensure that reconciliation takes root."
He said fear was the main reason behind the IDPs' reluctance to go back home.
"Many are afraid, they need a security guarantee before they can go back; we are working on this," he said. "Moreover, the government has a compensation plan, which includes rebuilding homes for those who can identify where their houses were and relocation for those who cannot."
In coming weeks, members of parliament (in Kenya) are expected to debate bills concerning the establishment of a coalition that will help to expedite the resettlement of IDPs in urban and rural areas hit by the post-election violence.
The government and aid agencies estimate the crisis led to the deaths of at least 1,500 Kenyans and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more.
© IRIN. All rights reserved. For more humanitarian news and analysis, visit the IRIN Web site.
PDA has provided $100,000 from One Great Hour of Sharing and other designated funds, but additional funds are needed. Please prayerfully consider a gift to help Kenya’s displaced return home.
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