News
Crossfire over eviction plan
The Mau Forest. Photo/FILE
Posted Wednesday, June 10 2009 at 22:30
Tempers flared in Parliament on Wednesday as MPs debated a motion seeking to protect Kenya's water towers. Trouble started when Isaac Ruto (Chepalungu, ODM) warned that any evictions in the controversial Mau forest would brew trouble.
Rising on points of order, East Africa Community assistant minister Peter Munya and Ephraim Maina (Mathira, Safina) accused MPs from Rift Valley of trivialising the matter for cheap political gain. Mr Ruto further infuriated a section of the MPs when he accused residents of Central Province of illegally acquiring land in Rift Valley Province.
Mr Maina, Dr Bonny Khalwale (Ikolomani, New Ford Kenya), Ms Martha Karua (Gichugu, PNU) and Mr Munya insisted that the government acts decisively to reclaim the country’s water towers which, they said, was under threat of extinction. But Ms Karua also demanded that the government provides alternative land for people currently living in Mau forest before evicting them.
Forestry and Wildlife minister Noah Wekesa told the House that the government had so far reclaimed 600 hectares of forest land in Mt Elgon forest. He added that the government was determined to reclaim all forest land and had formed a task force to advise on the best way to handle the matter.
Assistant minister in the Prime Minister’s office Alfred Khangati told MPs that the report by the task force on the Mau forest was ready and awaiting to be discussed by the Cabinet. The heated motion was moved by Gideon Konchella (Kilgoris, PNU) seeking to discuss the dwindling water levels in the country’s rivers as a result of wanton destruction of the environment.
Contributing, Dr Khalwale accused powerful individuals in the Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki government’s of destroying the country’s forests through irregular allocations of land.
He challenged President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to move fast and reclaim the Mau forest as its continued occupation was visiting a serious environmental problem on the country. But Mr Ruto and an assistant minister, Mr Charles Keter, opposed the Mau evictions.
Reported by Peter Leftie, Njeri Rugene, Caroline Wafula and Alphonce Shiundu
-
Submitted by shondeKPosted June 11, 2009 09:06 PM
-
Submitted by wamundiah
Can Ruto be advised to understand that he should think before uttering some words like evictions will cause controversy in the water towers, and for him to well know that the central province people know well to buy property themselves lawfully,anywhere in Kenya as for constitution.You can leave or buy property anywhere in Kenya so long you are a citizen of Kenya Ruto. There is no free things and as a minister you should be ashamed to utter such words like that. Now we know that the fight is on Ruto.
Posted June 11, 2009 07:37 PM -
Submitted by alfotula
I really hate politicians like Issac Ruto who values votes more than the lives of Kenyans. I wonder how such people were treated in Ancient Rome.
Posted June 11, 2009 04:00 AM -
Submitted by jjm
Can Isaac Ruto be made to explain what trouble will brew after illegals are evicted from the water catchment areas. Utterances like those are what fuels and causes trouble. I wonder why ABOVE THE LAW. Preserving the catchment areas is for the benefit of all humanity. How dummy are they that they cannot see the drought that has hit the country. People need to look far beyond they freaking noses, and imagine what will happen to them 10 years down the road if forests are not preserved.
Posted June 10, 2009 11:19 PM
RSS
By the way if you've ever been in Maua Meru then you may understand the intensity offorest destruction by watching the shoulder log carrying men from up the mountain.Anybody from Mt kenya seen this?