Senators order urgent resettlement of Laikipia IDPs living in camps for 18 years
The Senate Committee on Lands decried that residents have been displaced since the 2007/2008 post-election violence and continue to live in makeshift shelters under harsh conditions, awaiting government allocation of land promised years ago.
Senators have directed the Ministry of Lands to urgently resettle internally displaced persons still living in camps in Laikipia County, condemning the nearly two-decade delay as inexcusable.
The Senate Committee on Lands, Environment and Natural Resources decried that residents have been displaced since the 2007/2008 post-election violence and continue to live in makeshift shelters under harsh conditions, awaiting government allocation of land promised years ago.
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Committee chairperson Mohammed Faki said the government had already purchased 45 farms in Laikipia specifically for resettling the IDPs, yet no action has been taken to issue allotment letters or titles to beneficiaries.
Speaking during a visit to an IDP camp in Salama Location, Nyahururu Sub-County, Senator Faki directed Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome to allocate the farms without further delay and provide allotment letters to IDPs as they await the processing of title deeds.
Conflicting reports
Accompanied by committee member Mariam Sheikh Omar, Senator Faki criticised conflicting reports from government ministries over the status of the IDP resettlement.
“Whereas Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen claimed that there are no IDPs still in camps, Lands CS Alice Wahome told our committee that the IDPs have not yet been resettled because the government lacks funds for the subdivision of the land,” he said.
He noted that the two Cabinet Secretaries had separately appeared before the Senate committee three and two weeks ago, respectively.
Faki lamented the long wait endured by the displaced families, saying that many have died while holding onto hope for relocation.
“Eighteen years is a long time that has seen several die as they wait. They need to be resettled so that they can live in habitable conditions,” he said.
Deplorable conditions
He described the living conditions in the camp as deplorable, with families still sheltering in structures made of polythene paper, lacking access to basic amenities.
The Senate committee’s visit follows a 2023 petition filed by national officials representing IDPs across the country, who called for the Senate’s intervention in resolving the prolonged resettlement issue.
During the visit, Faki instructed Nyahururu Deputy County Commissioner Bernard Odino, who was present, to collaborate with camp leaders in compiling a verified list of genuine IDPs to ensure that imposters do not interfere with the resettlement process.
He also urged the Laikipia County government to make plans for drilling a borehole for the IDPs once they are settled on the allocated land.
Faki warned that failure to occupy the government-purchased farms could result in the parcels being grabbed.
“The farms bought by the government for the purpose of resettling them risk being grabbed if they continue being unoccupied,” he said.
He emphasised that the IDPs should not still be in camps by the end of the year.
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