This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
On September 30, 2019, a three-judge bench led by Justice Sila Munyao delivered a verdict in the Mau Forest eviction case at the Nakuru High Court.
The court refused to grant injunctions orders sought by 600 land owners, who had filed a petition on July 7, 2018, to stop evictions from the Maasai Mau Forest.
The petitioners, represented by lawyer Kimutai Bosek, argued that the eviction would have grave consequences, including families being forcibly evicted and rendered homeless, disrupting the education of school-going children.
However, the state, along with other interested parties, opposed the application, with the Ministry of Lands filing a cross-petition seeking revocation of title deeds.
The court certified the application as urgent and directed the petitioners to serve the other parties with the requisite documents before October 28, 2018, when the matter would be heard.
Justice Munyao, along with Justices Mohammed Kullow and Ongondo George, ruled that they were not persuaded to issue interim orders, opting instead to have the matter heard and determined once and for all.
