A group of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on Tuesday called on the government to ignore demands from some people claiming to be IDPs saying that they were out to fleece taxpayers' money.
In a meeting at Mai Mahiu that brought together former IDPs from the area and the adjacent Burnt Forest camp under the out piece of Kenya Peace and reconciliation team, they noted that the process had become a business venture with a majority of real beneficiaries being ignored at the expense of fake ones.
They expressed confidence in the on-going national government led resettlement programme saying that genuine IDPs had already been registered and those resurfacing now had other questionable motives.
“The whole process has been turned into a cash cow with business people wanting to reap where they did not sow. We know ourselves because we were the ones in the cold suffering during the 2007 post-election violence, where were they?” posed Maina Gachagua, an IDP.
He called on the relevant authorities not to be swayed by the fake IDPs demands, arguing that Kenyans had formed it a habit of turning any available opportunity into a money generating venture at the expense of others.
“Compensating such people will portray our government as a failed one with a lot of money to waste on rich people as the common mwananchi continues to suffer,” said Sarah Wanjiru, another IDP.
The government is in the process of ensuring all IDP camps across the country are closed down before the end of 2016 which was among the Jubilee government pledges after assuming office in 2013.