At every dawn, Mr. Stephen wakes up and wonders whether his life will be the same as it was prior the 2007 ENP. Although he has tried to bury the hatchet and call it a past tense, the fateful events keeps on unfolding in his mind. generally, this is the same life that majority of IDPs have been living with since then hoping that one day, someone will come from heaven for help; they have been living with superficial expectations.
It is a shocking realization that IDPs are still existing in country hitherto. This was evident during the IPDs leaders training last at Ngong Hills Hotel. Before then, I used to think that all IDPs were resettled. However, we still have IDPs in Rift Valley, Western, Nyanza and Coastal region. Most of them have gone into a state of desperation as they live in deplorable conditions.
The high expectations that they have holding for years has contributed to their misery. They are hoping that when justice is ultimately realized, one day, they will regain their houses, their relatives and properties that got lost. It is in this light that Kituo saw it important to inform them that it is important to manage their expectations. During the training, Verena, a trainer with giz did not hold back while informing them that it is important if they learn to manage their expectations and move forward. ICC nor any court in Kenya will put food on their table.
Notably, majority of the IPDs have failed to progress due to various promises given to them every day by people, organizations and even the government that they will be compensated. In fact, some go a step higher to exploit them or benefit by misusing them. This has been a worrying trend that has kept them dependent on a “helping hand.” Politicians have also been misusing the youth among the IDPs communities turning them into beggars. In this regard, the leaders were told empower and encourage the youth to take advantage of county governments and funds available to start income generating activities.
During the training, the IDP leaders were informed that even if the ICC cases that are much looked at turns out positive and justice is availed, it does not mean that they will regain the status they had before. Therefore, it is important for them to learn to move on with their life.
The IPD leaders were taught how to distinguish between their needs, interests and position. In fact, Jodom Mwebi from Kituo did not mince his words as he told them that some people claim that they want justice while in real sense they mean food, clothing and other basic needs. Thus, even if they want justice served, they should first find ways to meet their basic needs.
The IDPs leaders were also asked to encourage their people to take advantage Trust fund, Ability, loans, grants from the government and other organizations and initiate development activities as groups. Moreover, they were told to take advantage of county government budgetary allocations and present their needs at that level where they are likely to get funding. This will play a vital role in ending the dependency syndrome among them.
The training also acted as a platform where leaders shared their experiences and success among their communities. For instance, in his area, Mr Gregory has successfully started self-help groups that are doing great. On the contrary, some expressed their frustration in the way their groups were folding up while they were just flourishing. Therefore, they had to learn some tactics of how to manage such groups such as ensuring that there is no personal ownership of a group, money should not be kept by an individual in his house among others. With this, majority of them were satisfied that they were ready to go and change how things were among their people; they will be able to handle the matters of their people in a more advanced manner.
{By RCD}
Haki Blog-Kituo Cha Sheria 