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No payment for squatters leaving Mau
A settler displaced from South Western Mau prepares food at Kapkembu camp in Kuresoi district where hundreds of displaced families are camping. Prime Minister Odinga has said the settlers will begin receiving assistance. PHOTO/ CORRESPONDENT
Posted Wednesday, November 18 2009 at 22:00
“One of the MPs is responsible for the camps. They have raised funds to feed people yet they are the very people who settled them in the forest.”
Dr Wekesa said during a recent tour, a Cabinet colleague told squatters not to move out of the forest.
The PM said the government had drawn up an elaborate plan for the evictions, including provision of one-month humanitarian aid. He assured the public that all settlers, including “prominent ones”, would be evicted.
“This government is capable of dealing with the big fish and they are in the next phase. Where we have reached, we cannot go back.”
At Parliament Buildings in Nairobi, some MPs threatened to rally squatters to return to the forest in the next 12 days unless the government identified land on which they would be resettled.
They also said officers deployed to enforce a government eviction order had started demolishing the huts of those who had left.
Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot, in whose constituency most of the forest dwellers have set up camp, said about 8,000 children had been affected in the eviction and claimed that their lives were at risk.
“We note with concern that most of the relief food was deliberately misdirected to Bomet, Bureti and Konoin, which are over 120 kilometres away,” said the statement read by Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto.
They said relief food delivered to the squatters at their camps was inadequate and cited a case where 17 bags of maize, 12 of beans and 11 cartons of cooking fat were taken to 2,500 people camped at Terta.
The other camps are at Kipkongor, Kurbanyat, Tiriita and Kapkigaron.
Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny threatened to hold demonstrations and rally the squatters back to the forest, saying two days had elapsed since he issued a 14-day ultimatum for the government to act.
Eldoret East MP Margaret Kamar asked the Kenya Forestry Service to consider using the “shamba system” to reafforest the Mau. Under the system, farmers cultivate the land and plant trees and only move out when the trees are tall and farming unproductive.
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Submitted by kimutaimaPosted November 21, 2009 09:18 AM
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Submitted by jokaseda
Surely some Kenyans are funny!How can anybody move from wherever he/she was,knowing well that Mau was not his/her land; begin farming and when asked to leave Govt. water tower,he or she claims compensation!My God what kind of people are these?Isn't there a spec of order in their lives?I don't understand what kinds of leaders or looters and men like Ruto and his lot!Kibaki/Raila should move on and save this Water table land.Let us stop this debate and get moving.
Posted November 21, 2009 02:57 AM -
Submitted by yesuwangu
Even this MPs are hypocrites they just want the votes of their people by using them inciting them and in the end this people elect them for their own gain.where is moi with his harambee styles,where is gideon moi.this men are billion airs why cant they buy this people land each 1/4acre instead of shading a cocks tears
Posted November 20, 2009 10:49 PM -
Submitted by tek
For now, I cross my fingers and pray that the tempo on this exercise picks ups and routes all squatters including perceived untouchables of the Moi ilk from forest land. This must happen yesterday. It would be a phenomenal precedence, and clear message that regaining public land, much so a forest, for larger environmental benefit is a non-negotiable issue. This will set an exceptional par for the future. I see nothing personal against the evictees, infact I also hail from that community.
Posted November 20, 2009 10:20 AM -
Submitted by vayodenmark
Which pains the most,to be evicted from the forest that belongs to a nation not one particular person or having your hard earned property,house,livestock etc burned plus losing your close family members to one selfish, self-centered, heartless group of individuals,claiming you go back where you originated from,can the mau settlers also trace there roots, if the Kikuyu found theirs they definitely should get theirs as well,hunter turns out to be the hunted what a crazy world
Posted November 19, 2009 12:50 PM
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Raila to people of r.valley is like a cat who you give a piece of meet and in return starts fighting you.mr pm you r the most inhuman person i hve ever seen and you should never ever think of becoming the president of kenya your chance was 2007 which you let it go.first fight for langata const coz i can see u wil loose it