Ruto: I will not cut links with PM over Mau

Agriculture minister William Ruto during a news conference in his Kilimo House office on Wednesday. He denied media reports that he was ready to sever links with Prime Minister Raila Odinga over the Mau Forest dispute. Photo/CHRIS OJOW

What you need to know:

  • Agriculture minister reacts to media reports that he is ready to go separate ways with Mr Odinga over Mau.
  • PM has insisted that he will not backtrack on conserving the water tower.
  • Mr Ruto says leaders have no choice but to deliver on conservation of Mau.

Agriculture minister William Ruto has said he will not sever links with Prime Minister Raila Odinga over the Mau Complex dispute.

Giving what he termed his "humble" stand on the debate over the handling of squatters at the 400,000 hectares key water tower, Mr Ruto denied saying he will cut links with Mr Odinga if the settlers are not compensated.

The Eldoret North MP who is regarded as Rift Valley political king-pin and whose supporters have been at loggerheads with Mr Odinga over planned removal of squatters from Mau said: "the issue of Mau is not about politics."

"It is about conservation. We should leave politics out of this, address it on its own merit and not trivialise issues," Mr Ruto said and called for "concerted, unified" efforts in resettlement of the squatters.

He said leaders had no choice but to deliver on conservation of Mau.

Cut links

The ODM deputy leader was quoted in section of media on Tuesday as saying he was ready to cut links with Mr Odinga if squatters at Mau are evicted without compensation.

But in reaction to a question from journalists at his Kilimo House office on Wednesday, Mr Ruto said: "Show me the tape (recorder) which shows I said that."

Some Rift Valley MPs allied to Mr Ruto have also been saying they were ready to shift their support from Mr Odinga and ODM over Mau.

Mr Odinga has also said he was ready sacrifice his political support and cut links with the Rift Valley leaders over Mau for the sake of future generations.

The PM enjoyed huge support from the region in the last general elections with locals voting for him almost to a man, but the MPs allied to Mr Ruto now say he has betrayed them by vouching for removal of Mau settlers.

Mr Ruto insisted that people living in Mau, who had title deeds, should only be removed after being compensated or given alternative land.

Cheap politics

"If by saying they should be compensated or re-settled elsewhere is being a tribalist, so be it. We are opposed to forceful, vicious evictions," he said adding that there were attempts to portray MPs agitating for compensation as tribalists or playing cheap politics.

Mr Odinga is on record telling MPs to stop playing cheap politics over Mau.

Mr Ruto said Kalenjin MPs understood the importance of conserving Mau and were ready to assist in such efforts.  

"I believe the matter will be resolved. What we are seeing is politics with some of us being portrayed as bad. There’s no talk of when the squatters will be given alternative site," he said.

The minister said President also gave title deeds to some of the settlers who are targeted for eviction.

"They are citizens of this country and were given title deeds by past regimes and President Kibaki," Mr Ruto said.

He said squatters in Mau only required between Sh2 to Sh3 billion to pay off the squatters and that Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta has indicated that he was looking for the money.

In total, according to a report by a task force that investigated the Mau, Sh38 billion is required for re-afforestation, fencing and resettlement of the squatters.

Mr Ruto could not however tell the exact number of people in Mau that should be compensated or resettled only saying it is the task force that looked into the forest that was supposed to come up with the figures.

Environment minister John Michuki has since said only 1,962 people with "genuine" titles are to be compensated but Rift Valley MPs have rejected the figure.

To support conservation efforts, Mr Ruto said his ministry plans to develop a mandatory requirement for land owners to put at least 10 percent of their farms under trees.

He said the move will help bring the forest cover in the country to 10 percent, which is the international standard.

Saying nobody in 21st century could oppose conservation efforts, Mr Ruto said successive governments excised forests and allocated to individuals since independence, reducing the country’s forest cover from 14 percent to 1.7 per cent.

One million hectares were hived from forests, he said, adding that for conservation efforts to succeed "we have to look beyond Mau."

Conservation of Mau, he said, will see a further 60,000 to 100,000 hectares of land being put under trees.

Mr Ruto said majority of the people in Mau were given less than five acres of land while some bought in group ranches.

"Some very influential politicians who today are saying they should not be compensated pocketed the money and transferred titles to the people," he said, adding that if there was any illegal action it was done by the initial allottees who transferred land to innocent buyers.

The minister regretted that his colleagues and other MPs had not been given copies of task force report on Mau adding that five members refused to sign it "because they did not believe it presented true position on ground."

"We are not mad men to oppose conservation of the environment. We understand clearly the importance and necessity of conserving Aberdares, Mt Kenya, Mt Elgon, Cherengani and Mau," he said, adding that was why Rift Valley leaders took a position that proper analysis should be done and boundaries of Mau established.

He said 20 Rift Valley MPs had a "positive" meeting with Mr Odinga on July 20 and that it was agreed that illegal loggers and charcoal burners be immediately removed from Mau since "as we are talking the destruction is going on."

The destruction of Mau threatens the livelihoods of millions of people who rely on it. It has also affected the tourism, tea and energy sectors.