News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town
Surveyors from the Ministry of Lands and settlements will this week go into action to verify the boundaries of the volatile, expansive and controversial Mau complex in a bid to establish the correct status of excised forest land.
The exercise will commence tomorrow (Wednesday) and the Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan, was quoted early in the week as saying that the government team would inspect the entire Mau Forest complex to determine whether the cut lines set when the excision was done had been interfered with.
At the same time the PC said the Mau Forest task force which was recently appointed by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga, to look into problems in the Mau complex was expected to conclude its work by Christmas when it would submit its recommendations to the government.
The surveying exercise however comes at the time when political temperature among the communities living within the surrounding environs have gone a notch higher as the two Rift Valley political giants dig in for a major political confrontations over the government planned evictions of close to 20,000 families
Thism time around, the residents have been assured by the Prime minister that the eviction will be carried out clinically with human face an unlike the previous evictions which were carried by armed police and soldiers who set ablaze houses of the settlers and burnt them down to ashes
The two protagonists are the Agriculture Minister William Ruto and the National Heritage Minister William Ole Ntimama. The two are all members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party which is headed by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga, but are known to pursue different line of argument as far as the Mau forest issue is concerned.
An angry Ole Ntimama yesterday reacted to the PCs statement that surveying works will start in the Mau complex arguing the statement was misleading.
He said the statement showed lack of commitment to save the controversial Mau Forest. There are no genuine beneficiaries because all settlers fraudulently acquired parcels of land . he said, adding that all the beneficiaries of the forest land should publicly be named and be ashamed claiming they included senior government officials.
The government lacks the will to save the forestland from eminent depletion. There is no genuine beneficiaries at all, the National Heriateg Minister added.
Ole Ntimama spoke at a Maasai cultural ceremony in Njora Narok district, his home turf where a clash looms between the Narok County Council and several settlers.
Plans to evict settlers in Mau Forest one of the five water towers in Kenya have sharply divided politicians with some Rift Valley MPs accusing the state of targeting their communities .These legislators are known to breathe fire, which could rekindle the tribal clashes in this volatile Kenyan region. Close to 1500 people lost their lives in the clashes between 1991 and 1993 while thousands were rendered homeless and forced to seek refuge in the churches and police stations .Many homes went up in smoke.
The best part of the 400,000 hectors Mau Forest complex are located on the Narok West side while the remaining parts are in the newly created Molo district and a small portion is administratively under the Kericho district. Thousands had fled their homes for safety leaving property worth millions of shillings. Similar clashes reoccurred in 1997-1998.But the worse tribal clashes and the most bloodiest ocured between January and March this years during the post election violence.
Civic leaders in Narok have joined the fray with the Maasai Councilors issuing an ultimatum of seven days to have those illegally settled in the complex evicted or they will take the law into themselves and do the duty.
Five Councillors had issued a stern warning to Minister Ruto to keep off all matters relating to Mau Forest claiming that the Eldoret North ODM MP was equally a foreigner in the area.
Journalists who were present at the press conference have concurred that everything was planned and the Maasai leaders were ringing war bell.
The timing having come only days after Minister Ole Ntimama who is perceived to be undisputed Maasai leader had touched on the sensitive issues, which left many guessing what will happen in the area.
At the tension charged press conference the Maasai civic leaders stated that it was time their community united to protect the Mau Forest from enemies.
Ntimama has been bold insisting that the treatment of kalenjin settlers who had grabbed the forest land need not to be compensated but mist be kicked out so that the water catchment area is conserved.
The political language used by the civic leaders was frightening and threatening and left a lot to be desired what is so special about Ruto and the Kalenjin that they must be compensated ? asked Ntimama adding that many other Kenyans have faced such evictions in other parts of the country yet no single cent was paid to them, the councilor statement read in part.
They went on we want to tell the government that unless it evicts those who have settled in Mau in the next seven days then they should let the Maasai who are the true owners of Mau carry out the eviction in the way they know
The press conference by the Maasai civic leaders came immediately after those leaders held a ful council meeting at the Narok County council chambers chaired by the Council chairman Coun.Kerimpoti Ole Sadera. Also in attendance was minister Ntimamas daughter Lydia Masiconde who is the Council Chief internal auditor.
The Maasai leaders were categorical and emphatical that Minister Ruto should be blamed if blood was shed in the Mau complex.
During the meeting the Maasai council of Elders Chairman Mzee John Ole Maitai challenged the community to fight for their rights.
The Mau forest complex is a thorny issue which has divided the ODM leadership in the South Rift right in the middle. The Kipsigis leaders Isaac Ruto,(Chepalungu) Frankline bett (Bureti) Dr.Julious Kones (Konoin) Zakayo K Cheruiyot (Kuresoi) are known to be vehemently opposed to eviction move.
The Kipsigis MPs and their supporters have rubbished the task force appointed by the Prime minister, arguing that it comprises of civic servants mostly from the communities with vested interests in Mau. Members of the task force, they claimed lacked the credibility and impertiality
It is equally important to note that the most vocal MPs opposed to eviction have got personal interests in the Mau Forest land. Frankline Bett and the late Kipkalya Kones ,Issac Ruto and other had directly benefited by acquiring land plots in the forest . Bett and Kones each own 100 acres of prime tea farms located next to the Tea Research Institute of Kenya on the Kericho district side and have already planted tea business on their farms.
Many MPs from the Rift Valley especially those from the various kalenjin sub-tribes have opposed evictions of thousands of people settled in Mau , mist of the settlers having originated from the Kipsigis and Turgen sub-tribes.
The MPs have been saying that the government must adequately compensate those it intended to evict.
Others have proposed that a colossal amount of money to the tune of kshs 60 billion meant for the exercise be sued for the enhancement free painting on individual land plots.
The Rift Valley PC Hassan Noor Hassan was recently quoted as saying that after the task force concludes its work, it shall hand over the report to the government for debate and recommendations on the best way to go about the Mau conservation efforts.
But the PC readily admitted that the implementation of the findings would take many yeasr because of logistics.
The PC has assured thousands of those either settled by the government or who had acquired land in Mau complex that the government would consider all options to ensure their plight was considered in the conservation of the water catchment areas.
There is no way the government is going to punish its people conserving the Mau is not only for the sake of Kenya but for the sake of our neighbor such as Uganda, Tanzania as well as Egypt which rivers from the Mau complex are emptying their waters.
Despite such assurances ,not all residents who attended the P.CS meeting were convinced over the government intention. Some settlers have like the Mps have questioned the mandate of the task force collecting data from them saying it was trying to dispose them of their rightfully acquired land.
Observers however believes that the mau forest issue is still a potential thony issue which could explode at anytime sparking fresh council skirmishes between the force Maasai and their equally strong and battle hardened Kipsigis neighboirs.
Both the two communities are staunch members of ODM nd their contraction would place the Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a very awkward situation. This political scenario would also scuttle the PMs presidential ambitions in the year 2012.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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