This archive report was first published on 13 November 2019.
Published on November 13, 2019, a group of over 150 people evicted from the Maasai Mau Forest in Narok South took to the streets to protest alleged police harassment.
The protesters claimed that despite being issued with chief's permits, police were still denying them access to their farms, leaving their crops to rot.
During a tree-planting event on November 1, Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko and Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya told the evicted residents that they could return to their farms as long as they had a chief's permit.
However, protesters like John Mutai and Geoffrey Kiptulwayat alleged that police were still blocking their access to the forest, even with the permits.
Mr. Mutai stated, 'Police deployed at the forest entry points have denied us access into the forest. They do not recognise the permits issued by chiefs.'
Mr. Kiptulwayat also alleged that police were demanding a Sh2,000 bribe to allow someone into the forest, saying, 'I was roughed up and asked to pay Sh2,000 to be allowed to go pick my things. I had to comply.'
Narok County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti promised to investigate the police harassment claims, stating that no one should be denied access if they have a chief's permit.
