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Kenya

Kenya Humanitarian Update vol. 19, 09 -15 May 2008

Attachments

HIGHLIGHTS

- Government operation continues to return IDPs.

- Permanent Secretary of Special Programs reports that 114,000 displaced

persons have returned to their pre-crisis homes since the end of the conflict.

- Peace and Reconciliation Framework finalized by the Early Recovery Cluster.

- Provisional nutritional survey results for Turkana, Samburu and Marsabit Districts show increase in malnutrition rates

The information contained in this report has been compiled by OCHA from information received from the field, from national and international humanitarian partners and from other official sources. It does not represent a position from the United Nations.

I. General Overview

Discussions are ongoing within the Grand Coalition Government to determine the structure and respective powers of the President, Prime Minister and Vice President. The Government composition is intended to ensure a genuine coalition is formed, with the representation required to arbitrate disputes.

The Prime Minister traveled to Kisumu District in the Nyanza/Western Region, where support for his party, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), is strong. During his tour, the Prime Minister stated that a new constitution would be prepared within the year. Land legislation and past grievances continue to drive conflict throughout Kenya; as a key element of Agenda Item Four, which will include longer-term solutions to the drivers of conflict, the new constitution is expected to address land legislation.

A Review of the Post Election Crisis Damage and Needs Assessment of the Land Sector by the Development Partners Group on Land in Kenya yielded many findings that must be addressed through the anticipated National Land Policy to ensure sustainable peace. Specifically, the report cites several circumstances that IDPs have faced in the absence of a clear land policy: displaced peoples could lose their land or speculators/evictors could take the land; infrastructure may have been destroyed which had formerly ascribed rights to access the land; those who have lost their sources of livelihoods may not be able to pay their loans; property values may have fluctuated due to the insecurity caused by violence, depreciating the value of some lands; and those displaced from informal settlements may not be able to claim non-formal rights to their previously occupied settlements upon return. Without intervention and consideration in the formulation of a clear land policy, it is anticipated that these scenarios could lead to long-term displacement for some IDPs, and could potentially precipitate future conflict if left unresolved.