REJECTED IN LIFE AND DEATH Mawingu Idps have nowhere to bury their dead.



Michael Wainaina point s at the graves in Karuguto cemetery in Olkalau where bodies have been staffed on each other.



As you walk towards the Karuguto cemetery in Olkalau, a foul smell of a decomposing body greets you.

This is the small cemetery that IDPS from Mawingu camp have been allowed to bury their loved ones.

According to the Chairman of the Mawingu IDP camp, the cemetery is approximately 4 acres. It is all rocky except for one end which is less than 25m square where 172 bodies have been stuffed since 2008.

“Recently we were forced to bury one body on top of three other coffins. It is all rocky here.  You cannot dig further than four feet under.. This is the land allocated to us by the Olkalau county council.” said Michael Wainaina as he pointed at a fresh grave at the cemetery.

This is the plight of IDPS at the Mawingu camp who said they have been discriminated even in death.

46 year old Sarah Kimani a mother of six said that most of those who die in the camp are children and the elderly.

“We have lost our children because of the cold.  Many people here die because of pneumonia, stress and high blood pressure.  It is now raining and it is very cold. We will all die in these tents because of the cold. Let the government move us out of this place.” She sobbed.

 Tears roll down her eyes as she narrates how they have to deal with the ordeal of burying their loved ones.

“If we can be given our own land, we can bury our people decently.  Let us burry our loved ones on our own farms. It will be a bit honorable instead of throwing them here.” She added.

Mawingu  IDP  camp chairman  Peter Kariuki said that there is a cemetery at  Mawingu shopping centre but they were forbidden from burying people there.

“The cemetery is only 300 meters away.  No one has ever been buried there. We have to go five kilometers to bury our people at Karuguto.  This has forced us to open up old graves because there is no cotton soil.” He said.

But the IDPs at the Mawingu  camp  have uncountable problems. They told me  that  they live in squalid conditions and that to them justice is far from being achieved even if the Ocampo six head to The Hague for the mention of their case.

“When you see people demonstrating, it is because of the politicians. Most of them are business people. They did not go to parliament because of the local mwananchi. They went to make money. They have forsaken us “said Peter Kariuki.
For Kariuki, he really doesn’t understand what shuttle diplomacy has all been about.  He said that he is shocked to see government concentrating on the Hague issue alone.

“Most of the people have also died due to stress. When you are told that you are a fake IDP, don’t you   feel miserable. On our side we don’t understand what is in Hague and what Hague is. We as IDPS want our people settled. If our people could have been settled, we could have said let it go.” He posed.

The story of suffering is repeated all over the camp.  One wonders why a few people in the name of leaders enjoy the luxury and comfort of life in the city whereas the picture of emaciated children cannot go away.

“Let God fight for us. There is no one to fight for us. Why can’t God come down and help us now. With three children and no money to buy food what do you do?” asked   Stela Kwamboka.

Some of the tents are torn and the IDPS said that they have no hope that that they will be moved out of the camp soon.

“We have been lied to. I wonder when Minister Murugi says that she will strip naked. Why can’t she strip naked because we are in tents? Why should she strip naked because of Uhuru Kenyatta   going to The Hague?” she posed.

They said that they want the minister to tell them if they are fake adding that that if she proves they are fake, she should return them where they were.

Theirs is a life of misery and dwindling hopes. When Iasked them if they will vote, they said they will never vote again.

For their children, they have been forced to repeat classes because of lack of fees.  They said they have never seen bursary money.

“I finished class eight, but was forced to repeat because there was no money to take me to form one. The   problems here are many! Every time I am send away. Most of the time, I am not in class. Even for a month . I want to become a lawyer or a famous dancer. Life has been very hard. Where we were before coming here, there were no many problems.” said young   Patrick Kuria.

Children  walk  in Mawingu  IDP camp.

  The other children in the camp said that they cannot concentrate in class.

“The environment is not conducive for learning.  My mind is not always in class because I have to think of what I will eat.” lamented young Naomi Muthoni a pupil at Mawingu primary school.



The IDPS  said that they came  together and contributed kshs 1000 each and bought a Toyata Hilux surf which attracted the err of angry politicians who have accused their chairman Peter Kariuki  of  swindling  money.

“We bought that car because of many problems. Recently were had to take   one of us to hospital and there was no otherwise. Most of us have died in the Camps because there is no transport. That car is an ambulance - it is everything to us.” They said in defense of their chairman.

For them, their future is uncertain as we approach 2012.

“We are approaching 2012, we don t know what will happen in 2012. Recently they burnt seven houses in Burnt forest. They start like that.”  They said.

The y said that the TJRC visited them recently but only went and saw the camps and went away.

They also accused the area MP   Erastus Mureithi for abandoning them. They said he last visited them in December.

“We are praying that it should not rain. If it does, it will rain on us.  Whereas the rest of Kenyans are praying that it should rain. So as a country, where are we headed.” posed Kariuki.





The rocky patch of land in Karuguto cemetry in  Olkalau where IDPs bury their loved ones.