Ngilu unveils new plan to save Mau

• Five-year policy expected to restore water levels in rivers

Water minister Charity Ngilu has gazetted a new plan on how to rehabilitate a section of the Mau Forest.

The new five-year strategy will cover 31,734 square kilometres, mainly around Tinderet, Londiani and the larger Southwest Mau.

The districts in the Mau complex to be covered under the new plan are Kericho, Sotik, Bomet, Trans Mara and Narok South.

Ms Ngilu’s gazette notice comes at a time when at least 5,000 families face eviction from the Mau under a government exercise to rehabilitate the water tower.

The Mara and Sondu-Miriu rivers, whose water levels have dwindled following the destruction of the upper parts of the Mau forest, are expected to be restored if the strategy is implemented to the letter.

Also, the Kisii highlands, Gwassi and Maragoli hills water towers in Nyanza and Western Kenya will be protected from human exploitation through the Catchment Management Strategy.

The policy, which was published in the Kenya Gazette last Friday, comes just a fortnight to the start of the expected El Niño deluge, and is meant to harness the flood waters in the Kano plains.

“(The) flooding in the Kano plains followed almost immediately by droughts and water shortage is becoming more frequent (owing) to climate change and catchment degradation,” says the policy.

The hydropower dams along Sondu-Miriu and another dam at Magwagwa will help in water harvesting.

But just like the Sh38 billion that the government hopes to raise to secure the whole Mau complex, the question of where money will come from remains sketchy.

Treasury, donors and devolved funds like the Constituency Development Fund and Local Authority Transfer kitty are targeted to fund the new measures expected to succeed by 2014.

And on Monday, Agriculture minister William Ruto said the government should compensate Mau settlers before moving them from the forest.

Speaking at Kimori Primary School in Konoin District during a funds drive in aid of a church, Mr Ruto said nothing short of compensation before relocation would be accepted.