• Investigations, evictions and conservation efforts have abounded since encroachment began with mixed results
Mau Forest complex remains the most important water tower in the country, supporting millions of livelihoods nationally, regionally and internationally.
The complex is the largest closed-canopy forest ecosystem in Kenya and one of the five major water towers covering an area of 1,124,327.75 acres.
The water tower is a major catchment for 12 major rivers, namely Sondu, Mara, Nyando, Yala, Ewaso-Ng’iro, Molo, Njoro, Nderit, Makalia, Naishi, Mumberes and Nzoia tributaries. The rivers feed major lakes in the country, including Turkana, Baringo, Nakuru, Natron and Victoria.
The Mau Forest complex comprises 22 forest blocks, stretching across five counties: Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nakuru and Uasin Gishu. Some 21 of the 22 forest blocks are gazetted as state forests under the Forest Act, CAP 385, and are managed by the Kenya Forest Service.
The Maasai Mau Forest is currently the most threatened forest block of the complex, particularly from human-induced pressure and destruction.
Encroachment, commercial charcoal burning and illegal logging are some of the major threats facing the forest.
The impact of these human-related degradation has been catastrophic, with frequent floods, drought, reduced river flows, food shortage and poor land productivity among the effects.
Irked by the state of affairs, the government kicked out the settlers this month after giving them a window of opportunity to voluntarily move out.
The pressure on Maasai Mau Forest started in 1999, when five-forest adjacent Group Ranches that had been adjudicated in the 1970s applied for consent from the local Land Control Board to subdivide their land among members.
The affected ranches were Sisiyan (Ilmotiok Adjudication Section), Nkaroni, Enoosokon and Enakishomi (Ololulunga Adjudication Section) and Reiyo (Nkoben Adjudication Section).
The boundaries of these sections were well-defined during land adjudication and, therefore, adopted at first registration.
After consents were issued, government officers, politicians, private surveyors and influential people irregularly increased the sizes of the Group Ranches far in excess of their registered areas.
During these subdivisions, title deeds were issued beyond the ranch boundaries. These people obtained title deeds fraudulently.
By 2005, illegal extension into the Maasai Mau Forest due to expansion of Group Ranches had created 1,962 parcels of land, amounting to 42,257.42605 acres of the forest.
CORRECTIVE MEASURES
In 1986, a boundary commission chaired by the late Paramount Chief Lerionka Ole Ntutu was established to review the MMF Block Boundaries. The aim was to conserve water-catchment areas and recover lost forests.
It identified and demarcated a new forest perimeter boundary by recommending that a total of five ranches be reclaimed from Olposimoru, Kamurar, Olokurto, Nkareta and Naisoya and Kilaba adjudication sections.
From the analysis, it appeared clearly that Group Ranches were used as a means to encroach on the Maasai Mau trust land forest.
In 1996, the Sambu taskforce was established to deal with issues on Mau forest exchange, problems facing Maasai Mau, gazettement of other forests in Narok, conservation of biodiversity in view of Maasai Mau and Maasai-Naimina-Enkiyio forest and forest rates under trust land.
The task force recommended that the profiled families be settled in an area that had been identified by it.
The Ndung’u Land Commission was formed in 2004 to inquire into the illegal/irregular allocation of public land.
The commission established that most excisions in forest lands were done without technical considerations of social-economic and ecological implications.
It found out that the Nyayo Tea Zones were a conduit through which forest land was illegally allocated.
While the tea zones were meant to extend up to 100m strip of tea belt around forests in the tea-growing areas, extra acreages were hived off from forests under the guise of tea zones and later allocated to individuals.
Other past efforts included 2004-05 evictions, inter-agency assessment on the status of Maasai Mau Forest 2005, 2008 Mau Task Force and the Joint Enforcement Unit of 2008.