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KENYA-RESETTLE May-13-2008 (270 words) xxxi
Archbishop applauds government for fund to resettle displaced Kenyans
By Francis Njuguna
Catholic News Service
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) -- The retired archbishop of Nairobi applauded the Kenyan government for launching and raising money for a special fund to assist the resettlement of people internally displaced after the country's postelection violence.
Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana'a Nzeki, chairman of the government's humanitarian committee that sponsored the fund, told Catholic News Service May 12 it was a step "in the right direction."
The archbishop said he hoped special attention would be given to displaced mothers and children.
"There are mothers who must be given special attention in terms of food for their families, children who are sick and need special medical attention as well as education. All this should be prioritized," said Archbishop Ndingi.
In the violence after the country's disputed Dec. 27 general elections, more than 350,000 Kenyans were displaced inside the country. Government sources told CNS in mid-May that 150,000 still were living in camps for internally displaced people.
The archbishop, government ministers, members of Parliament, church representatives and business leaders attended the May 12 launch of the $22.4 million fund. The government said it needs $462 million to resettle all internally displaced Kenyans, reported IRIN, the U.N. news agency.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said he hoped more people would contribute to the fund.
"We urgently need to assist these people to get back to their homes," said Kibaki, adding that some of them are small-scale farmers, whose farming activities have been badly affected by the violence.
He said it was unfortunate that farming activities had been interrupted when the world is facing food shortages.
END
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