NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kenya has received Sh560 million from Japan for the implementation of various settlement programmes in the North Rift, North Eastern and North Western regions.
The Japanese Government on Thursday also committed another Sh400 million towards the same programmes.
During a project planning and implementation start up meeting in Eldoret, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy, Seiji Okada, said that the funding was part of his country’s commitment to support development in Africa made during the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) and the 34th G8 Summit held in Japan.
The Sh560 million will support the Shelter and Livelihoods for Peace and Reconciliation Programme, which IOM will implement with various partners in four districts in the North Rift Region.
Mr Okada said that this is the biggest grant that has been awarded for the construction of shelters to support Kenya’s efforts to resettle those who were displaced during the post election violence.
The Deputy Chief of Mission said that once the Sh400 million had been signed and disbursed, it would be used to fund a programme on an integrated response to food insecurity for vulnerable families in the North Rift, North Eastern and North Western regions.
Speaking during the meeting, IOM’s Regional Representative for East and Central Africa, Ashraf El Nour, said that the Shelter and Livelihoods for Peace and Reconciliation Programme will have three major components namely shelter, livelihood and peace building.
He said that the shelter component, which forms the ‘hardware’ of the project, will benefit 8,000 families while the livelihood component will target 1,200 vulnerable families, and the peace building component, which forms the foundation of the project aims to promote an overall culture of peace through the creation of Peace Centres and other related activities.
The Special Programmes Permanent Secretary Ali Mohamed said that Kenya appreciated the support from Japan and the IOM , and pledged to donate land for the settlement processes.
Mr El Nour added that the project will directly impact up to 56,000 people and have an estimated indirect impact on up to 200,000 people in Lugari, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia East and Trans Nzoia West districts.
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