Kenya issues one-week quit notice to Mau forest ‘invaders’ — PM reassures evictees
By NATION CORRESPONDENT
Posted Friday, October 8 2010 at 10:35 Efforts to restore the Mau Complex were intensified on Friday when a one-week quit notice was issued to those who have encroached on the Maasai Mau Forest. The notice, according to Narok South DC Chimwaga Mongo, has been given to fresh encroachers who had gone deeper into the forest in the last one month. Panicky residents of Nkoben, Kalyasoi and Chepalungu sections of the 46,278-hectare forest said they had received notices from their chiefs. Some 15,000 people are settled on the forest, which is a trust land of the Narok County Council. Past evictions in the area have been acrimonious. “We were going on with our work in the farms when the chief appeared and told us to prepare to quit by 14th October,” said Mr Richard Sigilai from Nkoben area. He added that the notice came when their crops were ready for harvesting, making the situation complicated for them. Mr Mongo said the notice was given after it was discovered many people had settled in the forest in the last one month. “Some invaders crossed River Ewaso Ng’iro into virgin sections of the forest and began felling trees and burning charcoal,” the DC said. Mr Mongo added that he and his Narok North counterpart Godfrey Kigochi met with the settlers and warned them before issuing the notice.
State issues one week quit notice to forest ‘invaders’
By PMPS
Fri, Oct 22, 2010 The government has promised to resettle genuine squatters who were evicted from the Mau forest allaying fears that they had been forgotten. Prime Minister Raila Odinga told the mau evictees that the government would speed up the resettlement exercise. “‘All those people evicted from the Mau forest voted for me overwhelmingly and I am not mad to forgot about them” he said. The Premier was speaking Friday when he launched the construction of 63 kilometres Londiani-fortenan Muhoroi road that will cost of over Sh 4billion. The PM said that when completed, the road will open up the western circuit which is endowed with vast resources. He said that the road which is set to be completed in the next 24 months will greatly benefit farmers from the vast Kipkelion, Londian, and Muhoroni regions. Raila said that Kenya is now in a new constitutional dispensation which is set to change governance by taking services and decision making to the grassroots. While likening the country to a football match, the he said that the new set of laws “will enable Kenya to play in a super league” like the Asian tigers; China, Korea, and Singapore. …
