Rifts emerge in Mau Forest taskforce team
A section of Mau forest at Kedowa, Kipkelion near Kericho. Some Mau taskforce members, especially those from Rift Valley, are said to have refused to sign the report that holds the key to whether communities illegally residing in the complex will be evicted. Photo/FILE
Sharp divisions have emerged among members of the taskforce on the controversial Mau complex, just days before the release of their much awaited report, the Nation has learnt.
It is understood that some members, especially those from Rift Valley, had refused to sign the report that holds the key to whether communities illegally residing in the complex will be evicted.
On Tuesday, Forestry and Wildlife minister Noah Wekesa said he had been reliably informed by senior officials in his ministry of the new development.
Sign report
Although the minister did not divulge further details, it appears that those who had declined to sign the report had reservations with some recommendations.
The report is expected to be presented to Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the next two weeks before it is taken to the Cabinet for further discussions.
“I have not seen the report itself, but I’m reliably informed by my officers that certain individuals have refused to sign it,” Dr Wekesa said at his office in Nairobi.
And the minister could not rule out political interference on the controversial issue, coming at a time when MPs from the region have openly opposed the planned eviction of squatters from the forest.
The MPs last weekend rekindled the issue at a thanksgiving ceremony for the new Roads minister Franklin Bett in his Bureti constituency. Mr Odinga was also present.
They vowed to resist any move to evict those in the forests. Other legislators from the region have also previously opposed the evictions.
The problems in the Mau Complex have been compounded by forest fires, with indications that 50 per cent of the cases are by arsonists.
Dr Wekesa has warned that the government would not tolerate the destruction of the forest. “It is disheartening to hear that MPs don’t want people to leave the forests... It is as if they don’t understand the repercussions of continued stay of people in the complex,” he said.
The complex, which is the source of 12 rivers, is a lifeline for millions of people. Mr Odinga formed the 12-member taskforce last year.
