By Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – Despite the deadline for the Internally Displaced Persons to leave the camp in Eldoret, many residents are reluctant to leave because they have no where else to go.

Just two weeks ago, President Mwai Kibaki ordered the closure of the camp at the agricultural showground in the town of Eldoret, which at at time housed over 500,000 people.  Currently, less than 2,000 people remain.

Each family has been offered 35,000 Kenyan shillings (about $470) for leaving.  But in order to receive the money they have to dismantle their tent.  Sources say that these “tents” are leaky structures made out of pieces of plastic sheeting and old sacks.

Many Kenyans do not want to leave the camp because they fear returning to the communities from where they were chased.  They would prefer to be given a large piece of land so they can all settle somewhere else together because safety in numbers is the preferred security option.

Without the land, many don’t know where to go once they leave.

“The government says you can’t be given that money unless you pull down the tent.  But if you pull down the tent you don’t have anywhere to go.  So you are confused,” says Elizabeth Wanja who is from the Kikuyu ethnic group that fled attacks from Kalenjin neighbors.

The Kikuyus were viewed as supporters of President Kibaki, who is from their community.  In their protest against President Kibaki’s controversial election in December 2007, their community was attacked by rivals.

This camp in Eldoret is the only internally displaced person (IDP) camp left in Kenya.  Naomi Shaban, the minster for special programs assures the public that the possibility of IDPs being forcefully removed from the camp once the deadline has expired is unlikely.

“The government is still in the process of acquiring land to settle the IDPs on.  I don’t think the process could have been done any faster as it is an extremely complicated exercise,” she added.

An 11-year-old girl, Sonny, remembers the day she fled her home recalling her father being brutally murdered and “slashed like grass.”

“They burnt our house.  They killed my  father . . . We cannot go anywhere because we need somewhere we can stay.  President Mwai Kibaki said they will give us land.  I have not seen the land yet,” said Sonny.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Kenyans Not Ready to Leave Camps – 9 October 2009

Capital News – Kenya IDPs Remain Adamant – 9 October 2009

UPI – Displaced Kenyans Not Ready to Return Home – 9 October 2009