This archive report was first published on 29 August 2019.
On August 28, 2019, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya announced plans to evict individuals who had illegally occupied land in the Mau Forest. However, this move has shed light on a more pressing issue: 15 schools operating within the forest that have been receiving government funding.
These schools, which include Chebirebelek, Chebetet, Lelechwet, Kiroboni, Senetwet, Kapislibwo, Kitoben, Indiani, Kabarak, Noosagami, Chorwet, Ogiglgwe, Sebetet, Olabai, and Koitabai, have allegedly received at least Sh60 million in taxpayers' money for infrastructure development.
Mr. Natembeya has refused to recognize these centres as schools, terming them as 'structures' and products of 'deceit.' He stated, 'The community centres or the so-called schools are actually not registered because they have no land documents. They are not manned by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). They don't benefit from free primary education, and they are basically centres where young boys and girls go there to waste their lives.'
According to Mr. Natembeya, each of these centres has a corresponding school outside the forest, and the funds used to build classrooms in the forest area were actually allocated to government-registered schools. He accused senior government officials and local politicians of instructing the heads of state-sponsored schools to construct classes in the forest.
Mr. Natembeya warned local politicians to stop playing politics with the future of Kenyan children, stating, 'We know even as we now move to phase two, somebody would just like to play mischief that the children are being chased out of their schools. We don't want our children to be used by people who are outside there to make a point.'
