Mau Forest row: Rift Valley leaders now target CS Tobiko

A section of Rift Valley leaders opposed to the Mau Forest evictions are now training their guns on Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko for engineering the process.

Led by Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot the leadrs claim Tobiko is operating under conflict of interest and is playing tribal politics in the guise of environmental conservation.

“We want to tell CS Keriako Tobiko to declare his interest in the Mau Forest because there is a political operation in Mau being led by political brokers and a cartel including the county commissioner,” said Cheruiyot.

With the second face of the Mau evictions targeting 40,000 people set to kick off, the leaders claim the ongoing evictions are aimed at settling political scores.

“It is a political operation because it is aimed at reducing the number of a certain community in Narok County,” said the Kericho Senator.

“On the Mau issue we are saying the Kalenjins are the best environmental conservationists. As you can see we have planted so many trees that are in no way different from those in Mau Forest,” said Bomet Senator Christopher Lang’at.

Speaking elsewhere, former Kakamega Senator Bonny Khalwale faulted the Mau eviction plan, saying the government should embark on revocation of title deeds owned by powerful former and present government officials who own huge chunk of land inside the Mau complex.

“When I watch on TV those being evicted from Mau. I see poor people walking with their chicken and goats. As the poor are being flushed out, let even the big fish who own land in Mau Forest be dealt with,” said Khwalwale.

Even as the matter boils up, Maasai leaders in Nakuru have thrown their weight behind the mau evictions, and called on Narok County Commissioner George Natebeya to forge ahead and ensure that all those who have encroached into the forest are evicted.

So far, about 12,000 acres of encroached land have been recovered with over 8,000 people evicted.