This archive report was first published on 8 September 2019.
Published on September 8, 2019, families in Maasai Mau forest are being forced to leave their homes, with some voluntarily moving to nearby areas in fear of eviction.
Samson Sigei, a father of 13, has been left to man the home in Maasai Mau, as his two wives and children move to Chepakundi, almost 15km from Narok North.
According to Ivyonne Kirui, a mother of four, she has been knocking on people’s doors in the area seeking accommodation for the past three days. She lamented that they have been reduced to beggars.
“We have been reduced to beggars, we are here begging yet we had much back in our homes,” she said.
Many families, including those of Sarah Sigilai and Harrison Langat, have been left to suffer in the cold, with some sleeping at Lelkoita Primary school.
Langat pleaded with the government to allow them to access their land and harvest crops, as the Kenya Forest Service rangers oversee the voluntary movement of the settlers.
The government has given the 60,000 settlers 60 days to vacate the forest, despite some families claiming that they legally acquired the land from members of group ranches.
