Kenya intimidating refugees out of camp-aid group

NAIROBI, May 16 (Reuters) - Kenyan government officials and police have used threats and intimidation to force displaced people to leave a refugee camp in western Kenya, the medical aid agency Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Friday.

More than 300,000 Kenyans were left homeless after President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election in December triggered ethnic clashes, killings and looting.

Some aid workers estimate that half of them have returned home, but many don't have the resources or are still too afraid or to do so, despite reassurances from the power-sharing government sworn in last month.

Staff from MSF (Doctors Without Borders), said they saw armed police on Wednesday going from tent to tent asking people in the Endebess camp to leave.

They also reported seeing arrests and beatings.

"We have witnessed this past week (that) the resettlement process has taken place in an environment of fear, people have been threatened and intimidated into leaving the camps," Remi Carrier, MSF Head of Mission in Kenya, told Reuters.

"The process seems incredibly rushed. People are being pushed out of the camps, are not adequately prepared and have very little support."

The aid agency said the camp of about 9,000 people had almost emptied out in the span of a week. Less than 1,200 people remained, most of them with nowhere to go or too scared to return to their homes.

Those that left had set up their tents by the roadsides or on private land, with no access to food or sanitary services, MSF said. Carrier said the situation was unique to Endebess.

Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Earlier this week, Kibaki held a charity fundraiser that pledged 457 million shillings ($7.37 million) to help rebuild houses destroyed in the violence. (Reporting by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura; Editing by Jon Boyle) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/ )