Rift Valley leaders to convene mega rally to discuss unresolved Mau mystery

Rift Valley leaders will soon convene a mega rally at the historic Kapkatet grounds in Kericho County to discuss the unresolved mystery of Mau settlements.

Former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, Konoin MP Brighton Yegon, former Health minister Paul Sang’among other leaders on Sunday said the government had deliberately turned a blind eye to the humanitarian plight of Mau evictees, mostly Kalenjins, forced out of sections of Mau Narok two months ago.

LASTING SOLUTION

Speaking during a funds drive at Koitalel Primary School in Boito ward, Konoin Sub-County, Bomet County, Mr Ruto said local leaders were in discussions to have a major Kalenjin meeting as a matter of urgency with a main agenda of discussing the evictions of people from Mau Forest and the resultant clashes in a bid to find a lasting solution.

“We feel that the government has taken our people for granted. They have been humiliated and certain powers seem to have sanctioned these inhumane treatments. We are therefore planning to sit and deliberate as locals on how to address the issues affecting the people living adjacent to Mau Narok before it gets out of hand,” said Mr Ruto. 

The fresh round of fighting between two communities in the Mau broke out as the government moved to evict those said to be illegal squatters in the forest.

Several people have been killed, hundreds wounded and nearly 20,000 displaced on both sides of the warring communities since the chaos erupted two months ago.

EMOTIVE ISSUE

Mr Yegon said that MPs from Bomet and Kericho counties had already written a letter to President Uhuru Kenyatta requesting to meet him at State House over the Mau issue.

“Besides that, we need to hold a mega rally soon and make certain declarations touching on the Mau issue,” said the Konoin MP.

Mr Sang said that the government’s silence in the wake of killings and destruction of homes was an indication that it had no goodwill to address the emotive issue.

They also blamed Narok leaders including Senator Ledama Ole Kina for inciting the youth against their neighbours and wondered why the senator was yet to be arrested.

The Mr Ruto said that among the leaders fronting the Kapkatet rally was former Roads Minister Franklin Bett and former Kuresoi South MP Zakayo Cheruiyot.

BROKER PEACE

The Chama Cha Mashinani party leader also said they were in touch with certain Maasai elders who indicated their readiness to broker peace.

 “Some Maasai elders called this morning asking that they meet their Kipsigis counterparts for peace talks. They agree with us that there were forms of incitements by certain leaders and that the cattle rustlers had taken advantage of the security lapse to steal animals,” said Mr Ruto.

Although the issue is being seen as one of conservation, politics has clouded it.

Most of those affected are Kalenjins who were settled in the forest during the Kanu regime under President Daniel arap Moi. Many came from Kericho, Bomet and Baringo counties. Naturally, they are opposed to the evictions.

However, the Maasai, who argue that their livelihoods are threatened by the settlers’ destruction of the forest, are solidly behind the evictions.