The truth behind Mau protest: Raila

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday hit back at politicians opposed to the speedy restoration of the Mau, saying many of them had benefited from forest land.

The PM accused people he described as ‘‘rich landowners’’ of exploiting the poor to protect their own acquisitions in the water catchment area and asked them to vacate like other squatters.

In an opinion article elsewhere in this edition, Mr Odinga accuses his opponents of resorting to overt ethnic mobilisation, incitement and using “incendiary and mendacious demagoguery” to subvert Mau conservation efforts.

He says their actions were driven by their need to enhance their narrow political ambitions, which “has no place in our nation.”

“I have personally never seen a group of Kenyan politicians so desperately trying to build their leadership and hang on to their illicit landholdings through such grossly parochial and divisive campaigns,” the PM says.

He accuses some well-to-do leaders masquerading as the people’s champions of trying to prolong their suffering, as well as their own region’s environmental degradation.

And speaking in Kenyenya District, he declared that he would not relent in the struggle to save the Mau Forest despite criticism from a section of his colleagues.

Storm in sea

Mr Odinga said that the current political wave that has hit him concerning the Mau would not shake him.

“I cannot be shaken by anybody in my efforts to conserve the water catchment area. That is like a storm in the sea and it will soon calm down,” he added.

He was referring to the recent criticism from some Rift Valley MPs who are opposed to eviction of the illegal settlers.

The PM was speaking at Etono village during the burial of Sharon Osebe Anyieni, a daughter of former Bomachoge MP, Zephaniah Mogunde Anyieni.

Both the Ndung’u and Mau commission reports name some of the MPs who organised Thursday’s harambee for people leaving the Mau as some of the beneficiaries of the allocations.

Kuresoi MP Zachayo Kipkemoi Cheruiyot, who is among former powerful operatives in the Moi government named by the Mau Forest taskforce as among the beneficiaries of the resource, was the host of the harambee at Pan Afric Hotel in Nairobi.

Another organiser was Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita, who was Commissioner of Lands during the Mau allocations and is said to own huge chunks of land in the country’s largest water tower.

Water tower

Roads minister Franklin Bett who, like Mr Cheruiyot, appears in a report prepared by a commission of inquiry into the irregular allocation of public land as beneficiaries, was the master of ceremony at the event that was mainly used to vilify the Prime Minister for spearheading the conservation of the water tower.

The commission, chaired by lawyer Paul Ndung’u, had been appointed by President Mwai Kibaki in 2003 to investigate the illegal allocation of public land throughout the country.

Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto, named in Parliament by Heritage minister William ole Ntimama as among the beneficiaries of the forest land received huge applause as he defended those evicted from the water tower during the harambee.

And Mr Bett went as far as referring Mr Ruto as “MP for Mau.”

Officials of various cooperative societies mentioned as having benefited from the land also played a role in the fund raiser.

The organisers included Cherengany MP Joshua Kutuny, Konoin’s Julius Kones and Eldama Ravine’s Moses Lessonet.

Human settlement in Mau ecosystem started about 15 years ago.

This settlement was done under the guise of assisting minority communities like the Ogiek as well as squatters and other landless people.

The allocations started in 1996 with the intention of resettling the forest-dwelling Ogiek community and families displaced in the ethnic clashes.

Cleared out

More than 60,000 hectares of forest cover was destroyed and turned to farmland, with very little going to the intended beneficiaries.

Experts warn that the continued destruction of Mau Forest will cause an environmental disaster, resulting in a reduction in rainfall, wiping out farms and drying up of rivers and lakes.

The Mau taskforce report recommended that all settlers be cleared out of the forest with the small-holders being given alternative land or compensation.

The top people are to be evicted and paid no compensation, the report of the task force says.

The Mau Task Force report names top officials of former President Moi’s government, sitting MPs, permanent secretaries, parastatal chiefs on the basis of individual settlement schemes where they were allocated 20 hectares each.

Sitting MPs

At Kiptagich Extension, the team lists 38 top officials of President Moi’s government who were allocated land.

Twenty five top personalities, among them a senior Cabinet minister, a permanent secretary, five sitting MPs, and a former provincial commissioner in the current government were again allocated land at Ngongongeri.

Former Baringo Central MP and Kanu vice-chairman Gideon Moi, who has also been mentioned as a beneficiary of Mau, is one of the key individuals who did not attend the fundraiser that saw the regrouping of a clique of former powerful personalities in his father’s regime.

Though not mentioned in any of the reports, former Kanu strongman Nicholas Biwott did not attend the funds drive but sent a generous donation of goods worth Sh200,000.

Eldoret North MP William Ruto, who is also the minister for Agriculture, led 10 Cabinet ministers and more than 50 MPs from across the political divide in raising Sh5 million in aid of the evictees.

Besides protecting their own interests, some of the politicians are also defending their people who are raking in profits from their cooperative society that owns tea plantations in the forest.

Alternative settlement

The politicians want the government to resettle all those leaving the forest just as it did for victims of post-election violence. The Rift Valley politicians got a huge boost when they were joined by politicians from PNU led by Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi, Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta and Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo during the harambee in pushing for the plight of evictees to be addressed.

During the harambee Mr Bett and Mr Ruto -the Agriculture minister - were at pains to explain that Rift Valley leaders and people were not against conservation of the environment.

The minister, said all the Rift Valley leaders wanted was for the evictees to be given alternative settlement.

Reports by Lucas Barasa, Henry Nyarora and Jackline Moraa