Ruto: Leave Mau Forest Land Immediately

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Sunday, October 1, 2023 –Government has warned anyone living in Mau Forest water tower to vacate immediately.

President William Ruto, on Saturday September 30, said main water towers in the country must be conserved by all means possible and that his government will ensure that environment is taken care of for the sake of every life.

Speaking during the funeral service of Titate Ole Sankei, Olopirik Village in Narok County, the President asserted authority that no one will continue encroaching on the forest land anywhere in the republic of Kenya.

The head of State firmly said that his government had secured enough funds in grands and taxes to save all water towers under human threat.

“Among the 10 water towers we have in Kenya, Mau Forest is the most important and we will save it.

“Those already in the forest (Mau) should get out immediately because we are putting up a fence. And it is not a request,” the President said.

Mau is remembered well during the grand coalition era. The eviction of squatters from the water catchment area started in 2005 under former President Mwai Kibaki’s administration.

The then government of Kibaki and Raila announced that all Title Deeds on Mau Forest were invalid and encroachers asked to vacate.

By that time, Raila Odinga who was the Prime Minister found himself on the receiving end after taking the front-line in the exercise.

He faced heavy resistance from local politicians including top Rift Valley leaders who changed the story to mean their community was ‘under attack’.

Raila would vow to lose the presidency and any support if saving Mau Forest was a mistake to some people.

“I agitated for the restoration of the Mau Forest. I told those who opposed the plan that I was ready to go and sell mandazi in Kibera (if the fight cost him politically),” he recently recounted what transpired.

The Mau Forest is managed by the Kenya Forest Service KFS.

It is the largest water catchment area in the East African Region covering an expansive 675,000 acres in Rift Valley.