• CS asks leaders not to politicise the restoration of the country's largest water tower
• The government intends to plant 1.8 billion trees across the country by 2020
Image: /FILE
The second phase of the restoration of Mau Forest will proceed as planned, Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has said.
It is not negotiable, Tobiko told stakeholders in Narok County Commissioner`s office yesterday.
He clarified that the process will not be about evictions but the restoration of State forest.
The CS said it was wrong for leaders to politicise the process.
More than 1,200 title deeds of Mau forest land acquired irregularly had been cancelled.
“The Mau forest disputes are political and have nothing to do with the law being flouted,” Tobiko said. They are not about tribes, he stated.
“We do not care which tribe you come from or your political affiliation – whether tangatanga or kieleweke. Restoration (of the Mau) is now or never.”
Some 10,000 illegal settlers were evicted during Phase one of the restoration. The evictions happened at Reiya Group Ranch in July last year.
More than 12,000 acres of the forest were reclaimed.
The second phase will cover Nkoben, Ilmotiok and Ololunga. Those at Enokishomi, Enoosokon, Nkaroni and Sisian will also be affected.
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya, who was present, said adequate security had been deployed to ensure the success of the exercise.
“We are ready for the second phase of the restoration. We have deployed sufficient personnel on the ground,” Natembeya said.
An estimated 60,000 people will be affected in Mau Forest restoration Phase Two. They include 8,000 school going children and about 1,000 candidates of the national examinations.
County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti warned residents against charcoal burning.
“Forests belong to the national government and we will not allow a few individuals to benefit at the expense of the entire nation,” Kimiti said.
The CS said the government intends to plant 1.8 billion trees across the country by 2020. It is part of the long-term measures for the rehabilitation of the degraded environment and achievement of at least 10 per cent forest cover.
The campaigns will involve learners in secondary and primary schools, colleges and universities.
The evictions elicited political posturing by the Maa and Kalenjin communities.
The Maa leaders want the evictions to go on while the Kalenjins say kicking them out is illegal and inhuman.
The Mau is the largest water tower in the country. It supports millions of human and wild lives.