Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Nyanza Region are demanding the government fulfill its longstanding promise to compensate them for the losses and suffering they endured during the 2007-2008 post-election violence.
Speaking in Kisumu on Wednesday, Nelson Owegi, the leader of the Nyanza Region IDPs Network, accused the government of neglecting their plight while IDPs from Rift Valley and Central Kenya were compensated and resettled. Owegi called on ODM leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto to take action, citing their presence during the crisis and urging them to leverage their recent political pact to ensure justice for Nyanza victims.
“Raila and Ruto, you were there when this happened. Now that you have come together, please help us,” Owegi pleaded. “During the post-election violence, I was in Limuru as the ODM chairman before I was forcefully evicted. We want to know if this pact will solve our problems. The people from Rift Valley and Central were heavily compensated and even given land, but Nyanza IDPs have been neglected.”
Owegi also urged lawmakers to implement the 2012 IDPs Act, which was designed to provide compensation and legal protection for displaced persons but remains largely unimplemented.
Victims Recall Harrowing Ordeals
Nyanza IDPs Coordinator Maureen Opondo shared her painful experience, recounting how she was forced to seek refuge at Kisumu’s Moi Stadium after being evicted from Kibera, Nairobi. She later became a leader of affected victims across four counties and led a legal battle against the government at Milimani Law Courts over extra-judicial killings, rape, murder, and property destruction.
“I was brought here on February 26, after landing in Kisumu on the 23rd. We were put at Moi Stadium, where I became a leader for those affected. I have fought this battle, even taking the government to court alongside four counties,” she said. “These cases remain in Milimani Law Courts, and we want them to be resolved so we can get compensation.”
She revealed that many women suffered rape during the violence, leading to divorce and further victimization. “Some women were divorced after their husbands found out what happened to them. Others were chased away from their matrimonial homes,” Opondo said, urging the government to fully implement the IDPs Act and finally provide relief.
Calls for Justice Grow Louder
Benter Anyango Abuto, another victim, lamented the government’s failure to compensate them, noting that many IDPs have died without receiving a penny.
“Most of us have died without tasting the money that was promised. We urge Raila and Ruto to fulfill the government’s commitment. If there is no land to settle us, at least give us what is available,” she stated.
Wilson Oriang, who was in Kibera when the violence erupted, recalled the devastation. “It came unexpectedly. Our houses were burnt down, our properties destroyed. We were packed in lorries and brought to Nyanza, where we were abandoned at Ebenezer School. To date, we’ve seen nothing despite the government’s promises,” he said. “Some of our people were killed, and their bodies never reunited. The government must compensate those registered as IDPs, not opportunists claiming benefits now.”
With March 28 marking IDPs Day, the victims have vowed to intensify their push for justice, urging the government to act before more lives are lost to despair.
