Trans Nzoia 2007/2008 Internal Displaced Persons after addressing the press in Kitale/Mike Musungu, WKT
The 2007/2008 post-election violence Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Trans Nzoia County have called on the Kenya Kwanza administration to work on the report of the former Auditor General, Edward Ouko, and ensure they are paid.
According to the Auditor General report of 2019, the IDPs filed a petition in court challenging the government on how compensation was done. The Auditor General, by then Edward Ouko, revealed how Sh2.7 Billion was paid to ghost IDPs across the affected counties without due procedures.
The Auditor, in his report, unearthed numerous anomalies in the payment of the cash meant for people who were displaced during the post-election violence.
The report indicated that the said money was paid to non-existent IDPs, persons who had duplicate names and others who did not have identity cards.
Speaking to the Western Kenya Times in Kitale, the IDPs coordinator, Mr. James Maina, said it is this report that pushed them to file a petition in court against the government after feeling that they were shortchanged by cartels in Uhuru Kenyatta’s government.
Mr. Maina is now challenging President William Ruto to reconsider the IDPs by relooking into their issue afresh.
‘’Our President Dr. William Ruto understands better how the compensation program was messy in 2017 by the cartels in the previous government. We would like his administration to appoint a commission that wills relook into this issue a fresh, how the payment was done because the Ouko’s report was very clear, so that the genuine IDPs can be compensated’’ Said Mr. Maina.
Mzee Jackson Erakai, an IDP, said their children lack basic needs as some have died while still waiting for the compensation. He asked the Kenyan courts to hurry up and complete some pending cases that have overstayed in the court of law for a long time.
Mr. Erakai said they can still solve the grievances through dialogue without the case proceeding since the State Council is part of the case in pending in court over the IDPs.
The duo challenged President William Ruto to have a meeting with their leaders from their respective counties that benefited during the 2017 compensation program to deliberate on the same saying their complain is genuine.
Mike Musungu is a reporter at Radio Simba in Bungoma and a correspondent of Trans Nzoia County for the Western Kenya Times.
