This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
December 19, 2019, marked nearly fourteen years since the eviction of 70,000 people from the Mau Forest. The evictees are now demanding an audience with the government, citing their continued poverty and squalor conditions.
The evictees, including 4,000 Integrated Displaced Persons from the 2007-2008 post-election violence, are threatening not to support the Building Bridges Initiative report. They accuse the government of failing to address their plight, despite promises made in 2006 that their lives would return to normalcy within a year.
Representing the evictees, Paul Mosibei has urged the government to launch an inquest on the inventory of land reportedly purchased in Narok County for the evictees. The funds were raised in a drive championed by leaders in 2006.
The internally displaced persons affiliated to the Kenya National Internally Displaced Persons Network Organization have further accused the government of failing to address their demands. They claim that their attempts to pursue their claims from the government have been thwarted by local administration officers.
Elsewhere, a group of internally displaced persons in Nakuru is calling for the implementation of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission report through the Building Bridges Initiative. The group, largely consisting of victims of post-election violence, argues that the BBI report does not address historical injustices, which they say are key to entrenching unity in the country.
