Internally displaced victims of the 2007–2008 post-election violence in Kisii County have decried years of neglect, claiming that they have not yet received government compensation, despite reports that others from different regions have already been compensated.
Speaking to the media on December 11, 2025, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) claimed that post-election violence victims from the Mount Kenya and Rift Valley regions had already been compensated, while those from the Nyanza region remained neglected.
Joseph Atambo, the chairperson of the Kisii County IDPs Marginalised Self Help Group, claimed that IDPs from the two regions received Ksh 400,000, 2.5 hectares of land, and assistance in constructing houses.
"The government paid IDPs from Mt. Kenya and Rift Valley Ksh400,000, a plot of 2.5 hectares; they were built houses; they got water and all the essential household needs," Joseph Atambo claimed.
The IDPs say that they received the first compensation of Ksh10,000 but were denied the second compensation after the officers in charge dismissed them, claiming that they were not IDPs.
They further claimed that the money was given to individuals who were not victims of the 2007–2008 election violence.
The residents are now demanding compensation from President William Ruto's government, saying that they have been suffering for ages.
"We are still suffering; we have not received anything. We are asking the government to help us and know that we are also post-election violence victims," one of the IDPs said.
The victims also say that they have had challenges providing for their families since the election violence happened.
The Kisii County IDPs Marginalized Self Help Group had registered a total of 1,213 IDPs, but due to delayed compensation, a number of the IDPs gave up on waiting for the compensation.
The self-help group now has 1100 IDPs who are demanding the compensation after nearly two decades.
The IDP compensation framework was established with the National Accord and Reconciliation Act signed in February 2008. Later, the legal framework establishing the government's formal responsibilities, including assistance and protection, was enacted in December 2012.
The government has been implementing specific monetary compensation programs in phases since 2008. In March 2015, former President Kenyatta launched a restorative fund with 10 billion Kenyan shillings to assist victims of the post-election violence.
In February 2016, the government announced the release of Sh1 billion to conclude the resettlement of the remaining IDPs in camps, bringing the total spent since 2008 to Sh17.5 billion. This included cash payments and land allocation.
