Keep politics out of Mau, Governor ole Lenku tells leaders
Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Lenku claimed that political leaders, who influenced the occupation of the Mau Forest acted out of greed and must take responsibility for misleading poor residents.
- Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen and other Kalenjin leaders are opposed to the ongoing evictions.
Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku has hit out at a section of Rift Valley leaders for turning the conservation of Mau Forest Complex into a petty political contest within the Jubilee Party.
The governor has asked the government not to relent in its effort to conserve the Mau Forest, saying that the arguments for and against the eviction of illegal settlers is the creation of leaders who influenced the illegal settlements.
“It is unfortunate we have reduced this mega environmental concern to tribal politics. The Jubilee government must not join the list of regimes that failed to conclusively address the Mau Forest matter,” said ole Lenku at St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church in Rombo, Kajiado South, on Sunday.
OPPOSED EVICTIONS
The Mau eviction issue has attracted support of leaders of the Maasai community, while leaders from the Kalenjin community , who have opposed the evictions, claim that it targets members of their community.
Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen and other Kalenjin leaders have opposed the ongoing evictions, while their counterparts from the Maa region, led by Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina, have supported the operation.
MISLEADING RESIDENTS
Mr Lenku claimed that political leaders, who influenced the encroachment of the Mau Forest acted out of greed and must take responsibility for misleading poor residents.
“Illegal settlers in other forested areas have been evicted without compensation from the government, the Mau case is about our current survival and that of future generations,” he said.
“The government must salvage the little that is left of the Mau Forest Complex and no community should feel they are being targeted. Environmental degradation is affecting all of us,” said Mr Lenku.
