Raila takes on Uhuru over Mau payout

• Finance minister maintains there is no money for big shot forest settlers

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday traded accusations over Mau payouts with his deputy and Finance minister, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, in an embarrassing public spat.

Mr Odinga issued a statement accusing Mr Kenyatta of “political chicanery” over the latter’s denial of a plan to pay big shot land owners compensation.

In a strong statement issued by his spokesman, Mr Odinga said that Mr Kenyatta and his Forestry counterpart, Dr Noah Wekesa, were “playing politics” when they denied on Monday that the government intended to pay the so-called Big Fish Mau settlers.

But Mr Kenyatta shot back in a similar statement: “The Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta has never at any time tried to play politics with the issue of Mau forest complex, and the allegation is not only baseless and unsustainable, but is in itself playing politics with Mau.”

On Monday, Mr Kenyatta, accompanied by Forestry minister Dr Noah Wekesa had said: “We at the Treasury and the Ministry of Forestry can categorically state that there has never been any discussion of any nature with any individual or company for compensation of any kind.”

On Tuesday, Mr Odinga said MPs amended the motion for the adoption of the Mau task force report to require that the government pays settlers and the House should take responsibility for the colossal sums of money to be paid to both small and large scale settlers.

Settle squatters

He took exception to Mr Kenyatta’s announcement that the government would settle the squatters evicted from South Western Mau and accused the Finance ministry of taking contradictory positions.

“The ministry now wants to compensate these people, who have no legal claim to land they occupied — and yet, despite Parliament’s amendment, it wants to pay nothing to those who do have title deeds. Again, these contradictions emanating from the Finance Ministry amount to nothing more than political chicanery,” Mr Odinga said.

Mr Kenyatta rebutted: “The matter of resettlement of Mau evictees has been discussed by government, on humanitarian grounds, but there has been no discussion on compensation on large landholders”, adding, Treasury would jealously guard taxpayers’ money.

Mr Kenyatta insisted that the ministry of Finance had not entered into consultations with large land owners nor had he received any communication from the government for any valuation or intent to pay large land owners.

“We have not factored any such payments into the current budget,” he said.

The PM described the MPs who supported the amendment motion as having acted out of “irresponsible personal and political motives” .

Prominent people in the Moi regime, including the former president himself, were allocated thousands of acres in the Mau.

The debate has been whether the undeserving settlers, who occupy land initially intended for landless victims of ethnic clashes, are entitled to any compensation, if they have title deeds.