Widespread violence following the December 2007 elections, which were marred by accusations of election irregularities, displaced up to 600,000 people in Kenya. Despite government claims that the vast majority of internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned home or been resettled, civil society and media sources report that hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced as a result of election-related violence, security operations, inter-clan conflicts over resources, and activities of militia groups in some parts of the country.

The parts of the country most affected by forced displacement are Rift Valley, Western, and North Eastern Provinces. A commission of inquiry established to look into the causes of the election violence described internal displacement as a “permanent feature” in Kenya’s history. While widespread violence has ended, and the political situation has greatly improved during 2008 (thanks partly to international pressure), displacement has continued on a smaller scale in different parts of the country due to ethnic conflicts over water resources and the government’s response to these conflicts, and due to a government operation against the Sabaot Land Defence Force in the Mount Elgon region of Western Kenya.

In May 2008, the Government of Kenya launched an IDP return programme “Operation Rudi Nyumbani”. To put pressure on IDPs to leave camps, essential services such as water were cut off; the programme also failed to meet standards set out in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement as it did not establish the conditions for voluntary and safe return, for example by informing people of the security situation in areas of return or by undertaking reconciliation initiatives. Newspaper reports claimed in November 2008 that up to 80,000 people still faced extremely difficult conditions with limited support in transit camps nearer their homes.

Read full Report on Internal Displacement in Kenya