The government will not halt the ongoing evictions at
Embobut forest despite the outcry by human rights groups,
Elgeyo Marakwet county commissioner Fredrick Ndambuki has said.
Ndambuki said
a contingent of elite security forces will be deployed to the forest to reinforce state efforts to flush out illegal settlers.
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He said the operation aims to smoke out armed criminals currently undertaking illegal logging and cattle theft.
“The county security committee has resolved to deploy a more specialized security forces to Embobut forest from Monday. Another team using choppers,” Ndambuki said in Koibatek, Marakwet East on Friday.
The indigenous Sengwer community has however maintained that the operation targets to evict members of the community.
A section of the community members were each paid Sh410,000 by the state to move out of the forest in 2014 but recently returned.
But Ndambuki said anyone who will be found inside the forest will be deemed to be a criminal and will be ‘dealt with’ by the security forces.
The state official accused some NGOs of inciting locals to return to the forest and fight with security agencies carrying evictions.
“Some NGOs are using a certain community to seek funds, yet they are not partaking in the conservation of the forest,” he said.
He said a middle-aged man injured after KFS wardens raided the forest on Tuesday, killing one person, was a dangerous bandit, who was armed with a firearm.
Sengwer community through their spokesman Paul Kiptuga has denied reports by security agencies that its members are destroying the forest.
“We would rather stay in the forest and be killed than agree to be removed from our ancestral land,” he said.
He further dismissed reports that David Kibet, injured during the Tuesday incident was not an armed criminal as claimed.
Area MP Kangogo Bowen criticized the community, accusing it of claiming ownership of a gazetted forest.
Bowen claimed the community is using the evictions to seek sympathy and funds from the European Union.
On Wednesday, the EU suspended Sh3.6 billion grants for conserving water towers in 11 counties, citing the violation of the indigenous community’s rights in the forceful evictions.
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