Economy

Displaced persons barred from selling land for 10 years

idp

An internal refugee emerges from her tent at Chepchoina farm in Endebes, Trans Nzoia County. Internally displaced persons will not be allowed to sell the land allocated to them by the government until 10 years are over, the minister for Special Programmes Esther Murugi has said. File

Internally displaced persons will not be allowed to sell the land allocated to them by the government until 10 years are over, the minister for Special Programmes Esther Murugi has said.

Ms Murugi said the move is aimed at ensuring that the displaced persons do not return to camps and help weed out fraudsters seeking to make profits.

“We want to prevent future issues of IDPs selling off their lands or even of cases where the land is subject to ownership wrangles,” she said while addressing more than 300 Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rift Valley. (RELATED: Resettlement plan offers land owners lucrative opening)

The government is striving to resettle thousands of Kenya displaced during the 2007 post-election violence.

Mr Murugi said all victims of the 2007 post-election violence will be resettled and compensated by the end of the year.

Those victims who had found alternative settlements will also be compensated with two and a half acres of land or cash equivalent.

“Genuine IDPs will be given money equivalent to two and a quarter acres of land or if they will identify areas of their choice which will be bought for them by the state” she said.

In order to authenticate the process, the minister said the title deeds to the identified lands will be scrutinised by banks and the ministry before the transaction is sealed.

Ms Murugi was responding to a memo from the IDPs protesting that the government had taken too long to compensate them. They also threatened to take legal action if the government did not honour its promises.

The chairman of the National IDP Network Patrick Githinji said thousands of IDPs were languishing in poor conditions at the camps.

“We recommended that the state compensates us with immediate effect. We are willing to help identify alternative lands suitable for genuine displaced persons” he said.

Andrew Mondah, the special programmes permanent secretary said IDPs had identified land in Elburgon, Subukia and others areas for their relocation.

“We are working together with the IDPs to find suitable areas for resettlement in order to avoid any future wrangles with the inhabitants of the said areas” he said.

Ms Murugi also said that her ministry had proposed an IDP policy before cabinet which will act as a safeguard to any future election violence victims.

“We have proposed a policy which is soon to be approved by cabinet. It will act as a guideline for compensation in case of violence in any future elections” she said.

The minister added that the cases of integrated IDPs will be handled once those living in camps have been resettled.

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