Senators demand probe into usage of IDPs cash
Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka
A Senate committee wants a special audit conducted to establish how funds meant for the settlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) after 2007/08 post-election violence was utilised.
National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity committee wants Auditor General Nancy Gathungu to carry out a special audit in the operations of National Consultative Coordination Committee (NCCC) that was charged with the utilisation of the money.
NCCC was established by an Act of Parliament in 2012 to handle all matters relating to IDPs in the country.
“The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Authority (EACC) and other relevant State agencies investigate and prosecute in the event that the Auditor General ascertains that there was misappropriation of funds,” a report by the committee.
Nominated Senator Naomi Shiyonga, who chairs the committee, tabled the report after two months of investigations following a petition filed in the House alleging non-settlement of IDPs in Kibera, Nairobi.
Rev David Muganada petitioned the House on September 19, 2018 alleging that 9,000 people displaced in the city’s biggest slum had not been resettled.
“There was inequality in compensating IDPs in Kibera where cash payments of Sh50,000, Sh400,000, Sh200,000, Sh150,000 were given out to different groups as compensation while others never got a penny as per the government records,” the petitioner said.
The petitioner prayed to the House to ensure full compensation of the IDPs, scrutinise the records of payment of the NCCC and ensure all the victims get equal share as per the government’s resettlement programme.
Committee established that only 1,163 integrated IDPs in Kibera were paid, with 471 of them given Sh10,000 each and 692 getting Sh50,000 per person.
Enormous loss
“The Committee noted with concern that the amounts given out as compensation were inadequate given that the affected not only lost livelihood but some also lost their lives,” reads the report in part.
According to presentation by the Interior Ministry, where NCCC is domiciled, said 663, 921 people were displaced, 80,000 houses destroyed countrywide and 1,300 killed during the violence.
“Out of these, a total of 350,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) sought refuge in 118 camps spread all over the country and 313,921 were integrated within communities across the country,” Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said.
Soon after the violence, the ministry noted, the Government established the National Humanitarian Fund through legal Notice No.11 of 2008 dated January 30.
The CS reiterated the government’s commitment to assisting all the genuinely IDPs was intended to facilitate the affected persons start rebuilding their lives as it was not possible to fully compensate those affected for the enormous losses they suffered.
To date, the government has provided startup capital of Sh10, 000 to a total of 124,974 households who were successfully persuaded to voluntarily return to their farms.
Some 48,662 households were each paid Sh25,000 to reconstruct their partially damaged houses and some 71,473 low cost houses constructed for those whose houses were totally destroyed.
