Raila meeting endorses Mau evictions

BY CATHERINE KARONG’O

The government Tuesday issued an October deadline for the eviction of people living in Mau Forest without valid title deeds.

The decree was issued after a day-long inter-ministerial meeting on the conservation of Mau forest complex chaired by Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

This would be enforced by an eight-ministries’ taskforce to be coordinated by the Prime Minister’s office established as part of five key resolutions made.

“The function of the taskforce is to oversee the implementation of the decisions made. They will also be charged with boundary marking and fencing in the South West Mau and Maasai Mau following the Olentutu commission boundary, to resettle those who had purchased bona fide irregular titles,” he said.

The high profile consultative meeting came under a backdrop of controversy facing the Mau forests eviction dispute with about 3,000 families living in the forest having sought court orders to stop an eviction threat by the Narok County Council.

Other resolutions made included the establishment of a joint enforcement structure to police the Mau forest, exploration of other livelihood alternatives for the communities around the forests, to convene a donor consultative forum to mobilize resources for the conservation of the forest and to establish special magistrates to charge and prosecute offenders of illegal activities around the Mau forest complex.

However there was a minor setback when Chepalungu legislator Isaac Ruto objected to the resolution and argued that area leaders were not adequately represented in the convergence.

He said that they had recommended further consultations with the leadership of the region.

“It appears that the resolutions were prepared before (the meeting). I don’t remember us mentioning some of the issues that the PS has read and I will not be part to that,” Ruto complained.

Other partners argued that the October deadline was too near for the evictions and resettlement of those genuinely settled at the forest.

However the Prime Minister sought to clarify that the resolutions were not cast on stone.

“I think there is a misconception here. We need to give some kind of guidelines on this particular issue because if we don’t do so then we will just continue the way we have continued in the past,” the PM clarified

Courtesy of:http://www.capitalnews.co.ke/Local/Raila-meeting-endorses-Mau-evictions.html