By KARANJA NJOROGE
After four years in the camps, Mau Forest evictees have a reason to smile after President Uhuru Kenyatta launched a Sh832 million cash payment programme for their resettlement on Saturday.
The President kicked off the programme where 2,098 families which have been living in squalid conditions on the edges of the water tower will receive Sh400,000 each to restart their lives. The evictees were overcome with joy when the first batch of beneficiaries received their cheques from the President during a ceremony at Kiplamaiywa in Kuresoi, Nakuru County.
Evictees from the Kapkembu camp, which was among the first IDP camps set up by the Mau forest families trooped to the venue in droves.
Some of the displaced persons could harly hold back their tears after the Jubilee government honoured its campaign pledge to facilitate their resettlement.
“We have been living in deplorable conditions since 2009 when we were flushed out of South Western Mau and we are grateful that our prayers have been answered’’ said Walter Kirui.
He said with his family would look for land to buy with the money allocated to them by the Government and invest in an income generating project.
Addressing the evictees, the President ordered Lands Minister Charity Ngilu to lift a caveat banning the sale of land in areas around Mau forest after local leaders said it was hindering development and acquisition of land.
“I am calling on the Minister to ensure it is removed within two weeks,” Uhuru said. The Presiden accompanied by his Deputy William Ruto and senior Jubilee leaders were ferried to the venue of the meeting of by nine helicopters.
Ruto said the Caveat should be lifted to enable the families who intend to settle in the area to use the funds to acquire land. ‘’We have been having the problem of the caveat in this area and it should be lifted to enable those who wish to purchase land here to do so,’’ he added.
The Mau forest evictions dominated campaign meetings in Rift Valley ahead of the March 4 elections as politicians sought to gain political mileage.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was largely blamed as the chief architect of the evictions, which led to his fall out with Ruto and Rift Valley MPs prior to the elections.
Uhuru said the cash payment programme to the evictees was to honour the Jubilee campaign promise to have the families resettled within 100 days of his Government.
“We have come here to honour our campaign pledge which for one reason or the other we had not been able to implement as promised,’’ the President said. Some of the evictees, however, said that their names were not in the list of those to receive funds yet they were among people flushed out of the forest.
‘’We have many IDPs missing from the list while some who were not evicted are earmarked to benefit from the funds and we want the issue addressed,’’ said Phillip Lang’at
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Lang’at said he had tried to raise the issue with the local provincial administration in vain despite providing evidence of being displaced during the eviction exercise.
Prisca Cherono from Terta camp also said she was shocked after realising that her name was also missing from the list of the beneficiaries.
The evictees recalled the suffering they had undergone in the camps including dying of preventable diseases and going without basic needs including food and shelter.
Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot said there were two list of names from the Ministry of Special Programmes and another one from the provincial administration. ‘’We are asking that the two lists be harmonized to ensure to remove the confusion,’’ the MP said.
Cheruiyot revisited the evictions which were aimed at restoring the vital water tower saying it was carried out in an inhumane way and blamed the former Prime Minister.
“What happened here is the kind of inhumane treatment that should never been allowed any where in the world,’’ he said.
Families issued with the cheques will not be allowed to return to the camps which will be closed immediately and secured by security forces.
Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru said 505 families from the Kapkembu camp will receive the funds totalling Sh202 million. She said the remaining families in other camps would receive their moneyfrom Monday in their respective bank accounts. The President later visited the neighbouring Kiptororo IDP camp where he issued some of the families with the cheques.
Uhuru said the money if well utilized has the potential to change their lives and empower them economically after years of suffering in the forest.
Among those who accompanied the President were Cabinet Secretaries Joseph Ole Lenku (Interior), Najib Balala (Mining), Felix Koskei (Agriculture) and majority leader Aden Dualle.
Others were Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua MP Asman Kamama and nominated Senator Liz Chelule.