This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
Published on November 22, 2019, a date that marks the beginning of the residents' defiance against the government's eviction order.
More than 1000 families living in Marmanet forest in Laikipia County have vowed to challenge the government's planned eviction order. The affected families have protested an order by Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko to move out or be evicted forcibly, saying they have valid title deeds issued by the Government.
According to John Barno, the families' spokesman, they have lived in the forest for the last 15 years and have nowhere else to call home. He maintained that they were not on forest land and therefore should not be evicted or harassed.
"We have lived here for the last 15 years and we have nowhere else to call home. We will not vacate this land unless we are resettled elsewhere," Barno said.
Another resident, Jane Muthoni, questioned the government's decision to issue title deeds on a forest land. "The Government is even today issuing title deeds for locals here, we wonder why the change now. We will not be evicted from the homes we have known for the last decade," she said.
The water catchment area, a vital source of water for lakes Bogoria and Baringo, and Ewaso Ngiro River has been degraded and destroyed through human activities. The government intends to plant more than 10 million trees on the forest this year.
