IDPs in Kenya
Internal displacement is a recurring theme in Kenya’s history. Prior to the 2007 elections there were approximately 350,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kenya, owing to earlier election-related clashes, unresolved land grievances, and socioeconomic insecurity.
Since the national election held on 27th December 2007, outbreaks of violence across Kenya have resulted in the displacement of an estimated 663,921 people. An estimated 350,000 of the IDP population sought refuge in 118 camps spread all over the country while another 313,921 of them either integrated within communities or moved to their ethnic homelands for security.
Operation Rudi Nyumbane (Return Home) was launched in May 2008, and a cash payment of Kes 25,000 promised to every returning household on behalf of the Government of Kenya. This resettlement package has encountered delays amid charges of unaccountability and corrpution, while UNHCR staff have reported that the resettlement process is being driven not by humanitarian concerns but rather political concerns centred on the 2012 elections.
Kenya’s 61,000 IDP population as of September 2009 remained largely concentrated in the Rift Valley Province, and specifically in the region surrounding Eldoret. 7,249 households were hosted in 43 transit camps. A team from Kenya Aid Programme visited a transit site in Eldoret in December 2009.
Identified needs for Kenya’s IDP population include medical supplies, sanitation and water, health staff, provision of care to victims of gender violence, and an evaluation of the health situation.
Source: WHO / OCHA Kenya / UNHCR / Photo: WFP - Marcus Prior
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