People forced to flee their homes in post election violence plan to demonstrate in 20 towns across Kenya on Nov 7
NAIROBI (AlertNet) – People forced to flee their homes in post election violence plan to demonstrate in 20 towns across Kenya on Nov 7 to compel the government to resettle hundreds of thousands of people displaced across the country, The Star newspaper reports.
Last month, Chaloka Beyani, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of internally displaced people (IDPs), called on Kenya to resettle thousands of families who are living in dire conditions almost four years after being forced from their homes.
Some 1,220 Kenyans were killed and more than 660,000 people were displaced when violence flared between supporters of rival presidential contenders, fuelled by historical grievances between different ethnic communities.
However, forced displacement dates back several decades. Violence has flared up at almost every election, as the government sought to displace opposition voters. The evictions were masked as “tribal clashes”.
The total number of displaced is disputed. The Star puts it at 800,000, but the government says it is much lower. Civil society groups will also join the IDP protests.
“We are not only addressing the victims of the post-election violence, but those evicted from their homes since 1984 in Baringo, victims of tribal clashes in 1992, 1997, 2002, and all those evicted from forests,” Elijah Sikona of the Trusted Society of Human Rights Alliance, was quoted as saying.
People have also been displaced from government forests where they settled after buying land that was illegally excised by corrupt officials.
The campaigners criticised the government for using IDPs as a political weapon in next year’s elections, the report said.
“The latest trend for politicians is segregating IDPs in their localities and promising them goodies in return for votes,” Paul Masese of the Centre for Enhancing Human Rights and Democracy said, according to the newspaper.
Beyani said those displaced could be vulnerable to attack if election violence flares again in 2012 without resettlement and reconciliation being carried out in Kenya.
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