Wednesday, February 27, 2013

IDPs camping outside PM’s office ‘ejected’


Nairobi, Kenya: Two of the internally displaced families reported to have been camping outside Prime Minister’s office have been taken back to Gilgil town.
The two were were bundled into a government vehicle and dumped in Gilgil town moments after a presidential candidate expressed worry over their plight at a presidential debate Monday evening.
Hours after Alliance for Real Change Mohamed Dida expressed his worry over the families outside Raila’s office gate, armed officers moved in forced them into a waiting government vehicle.

But drama was to unfold as the families and their 11 kids refused to disembark from the car noting that they had been promised resettlement.

For hours, the families camped inside the vehicle that was parked outside the offices of Gilgil DC as concerned members of the public offered them food.

According to one of the victims Wilson Ng’ang’a, they were evicted from Njoro at the height of the 2007 PEV and moved to Gilgil.

On realizing that they could not be resettled, the families walked to Nairobi before camping outside the PM office seeking his intervention.

Ng’ang’a told how on Tuesday at 9pm they were ordered into a waiting government vehicle with promise that they were being driven to their new home.

“We thought our prayers had been answered but we were left in shock after the officers ordered us out of the vehicle on reaching Gilgil town,” he said.

The granny vowed that they would not get out of the vehicle until they were resettled and received their Sh35,000 compensation.

On her part, Susan Nyambura Thuku told how they camped outside the PM office hoping that he would address their case.

Nyambura said that they arrived in Gilgil at 3am hoping to be resettled in their new home only to be ordered out of the vehicle and never return to Nairobi.

“We have slept hungry and all the time the PM ignored us until yesterday when we were bundled into a vehicle by his officers,” she said.

Contacted on phone, the communication officer in the PM Office Dennis Onyango said that he was not aware of the matter. “The PM is on the ground campaigning and the issue you are raising is new to me as am not aware of it,” he said.

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