Eviction: Security forces move into Mau

The government will start evicting millions of squatters in Mau Forest any time from Wednesday.

Hundreds of security officers have been sent to South Western Mau, the first part of the 400,000 hectare forest to be cleared of settlers.

The government had given the settlers a deadline of Tuesday to leave peacefully.

To show the government’s determination to rehabilitate the Mau, two press conferences announcing the evictions were held in Nairobi and Nakuru, but senior officials were silent on the role of the security officers marshalled in the complex.

The government has promised not to use force, as it has done in the past, to clear out the settlers. In Nairobi, Forestry and Wildlife minister Noah Wekesa said they would first evict 16,000 families in South Western Mau, an area of 19,000 hectares (46,930 acres) in a “humane” way.

Dr Wekesa declined to give details of how and when it would begin. Asked if the government would use force if the settlers resisted, he said they would be “persuaded” to move.

It’s up to them

“The encroachers are from various districts and we can’t be sure where they’re going to end up. It’s up to them to state where they want to relocate. A lot of them are good Kenyans and have started moving,” he said.

In Nakuru, Mau Forest restoration secretariat boss Hassan Noor Hassan repeated the same message and also claimed to be optimistic the families would leave voluntarily.

“The eviction notice expires today (Tuesday) and we are sure that the settlers will move out on their own will. The secretariat will continue persuading the people to peacefully move out,” he said.

No documents

Kenya Forest Service (KFS) director David Mbugua said settlers in the targeted area had no documents to support their presence in Mau.

Some 300 security officers has been deployed in the area which is a 42-kilometre stretch.

Some 100 forest rangers have been deployed in the first 15-kilometre strip.

One hundred Administration Police officers were in the second part, while another 100 rangers were spread out over the rest of the area.

They arrived aboard trucks at Chematich, Kapkembu and Saino and erected tents along the 40 kilometre border between the settlement scheme and the forest “awaiting further instructions”.

The officers, who travelled in the area aboard lorries from KWS and four-wheel drive vehicles, began arriving at midday, with the sight of the convoy sending shivers down the spines of the villagers.

Even though the government has all along maintained that no force would be used to remove the settlers out of the forest, tension was clearly evident among the locals as they watched the trucks arrive.

They came out and lined up along the Molo-Stoito-Ndoinet road to witness the arrival of the officers.

The officers had a brief stop at the Ndoinet forestry office where they were briefed by the forest officer, Mr Isaac Wafula, who then led them to Chematich, with the other group travelling to Saino was.

The officers travelled from Londiani Forestry College after a day-long briefing by government officials on Monday.

Residents who spoke to the Nation at Ndoinet put on a brave face, saying they were not ready to move out. The conservation of the Mau, which is supported by Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has at times been opposed by Rift Valley MPs, who would like all settlers compensated before moving out.

On Wednesday Mr Odinga is expected to stress the need to conserve the Mau during his Question Time in Parliament. The rehabilitation of the Mau Forest, which includes evictions, compensation, planting of trees and fencing, will require Sh38 billion.

Dr Wekesa said the government would be going on a “silent begging mission” at next month’s global summit on climate in Copenhagen.