No compensation for the Maasai Mau evictees

Narok,

Friday, January 5, 2024

KNA by Ann Salaton

The state has asked Maasai Mau evictees not to be deceived by people moving around the town pretending to register the evictees for what they term as ‘government compensation’. Narok County Commissioner Isaac Masinde reiterated that the government has no plans to compensate the Maasai Mau evictees as a court Judgment directed that they should not be compensated.

Masinde who spoke today to journalists in his office asked the evictees not to give any money to those promising to include them in a compensation register, describing them as ‘conmen’.

“I advise everyone to go back to their original homes and concentrate on doing farming or other productive business instead of wasting time in market places thinking they will be compensated by the government for the land they were removed from,” he said.

He said those spreading such lies risk arrest and prosecution in a court of law for spreading fake news and conning innocent people of money.

He called on chiefs, village elders and spiritual leaders to help sensitize the people on the need to conserve and keep off forest land.

The government will guard that forest passionately, he reiterated, adding that no single person will be allowed back into the forest land, as it is a mega water catchment land.

Last year, the government evicted over 3, 000 families from the Maasai Mau Forest reclaiming over 26, 000 hectares of forest land that had been invaded by the illegal settlers.

The eviction process was led by Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Dr. Abdi Hassan and conducted in Olkurto, Sasiwan and Kirampa part of Mau Forest.

In 2018, the government conducted two phases to evict people from the forest land and successfully reclaimed 4,500 hectares stretching from Nkoben to Kosia parts that were largely encroached.

Courtesy; KNA