Project

Kenya and Uganda: From Displacement to Re-Settlement

For about 18 months, more than a half of million people from the Ugandan area have been displaced after post-election violence forced them from their homes.

Some estimates said that more than 650,000 Kenyans and Ugandans were displaced after a chaotic dispute following the 2007 presidential elections.

The Kenyan government is in the midst of trying to patch what they see as an eyesore. The government announced they would be giving a few thousand IDPs money to rebuild their now-destroyed homes. It was also reported that the Chinese government donated about $26 million in roofing materials to help in rebuilding.

While it may appear the once-dreary situation has cleared, that may not be the case. Many IDPs do not want to resettle and have refused the government handout. Others fear retribution upon moving back to their old homes.

Jordan Wilson will detail these struggles, report on any remaining IDPs and follow around families as they try to re-integrate into society after spending a year and a half in makeshift camps.

December 02, 2009 | Pulitzer Center

For IDPs in Kenya, lost homes, broken promises

Jordan Wilson, Pulitzer Student Fellow

ELDORET -- It's been a rather topsy-turvy two years for internally displaced persons in Kenya. After being violently removed from their homes in the waning days of 2007 due to post-election violence, hundreds of thousands have called patches of grass and makeshift tents home ever since. A recent, almost-too-late promise of compensation from the government didn't help repair the situation, as most IDPs never saw a shilling and hostility between the Kenyan people and their government is still brewing.