This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
On November 1, 2019, Environment CS Keriako Tobiko led a multi-government agency tree planting exercise in Maasai Mau Forest, where he announced that nearly 96% of the illegal settlers had left the forest following a 30-day eviction notice.
Speaking to the press, Tobiko hailed the eviction process, stating that the authority did not use force on the evictees, contrary to what some politicians had opined.
“The settlers left voluntarily. The exercise was done in a humane and judicious manner and we expect by the end of today to recover the whole of Maasai Mau water tower, all this has been done without firing a bullet, clobbering anyone or even burning houses,” Tobiko said.
According to Tobiko, evicting the settlers was the easier part, and reclaiming the forest was the uphill battle. The ministry of environment had kicked off a ten million tree planting initiative in Mau forest as part of its effort to restore the vital water tower.
“We have embarked on a major restoration program where we expect to plant 300,000 tree seedlings manually and aerial seeding of an area covering 3,500 hectares today,” said CS Tobiko.
At the same tree planting event, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya warned politicians against incitement, stating that any politician implicated would be dealt with as an individual.
