By Karanja Njoroge
NAKURU, KENYA: The Mau Forest evictees resettlement exercise suffered a set back after some of the evictees vowed to reject the Sh400,00 offered by the Government.
The evictees from the Ogiek community said they would not leave the camps saying the amount was not commensurate with the value of their land in the forest.
The Government has announced plans to have all the IDP camps across the country closed by the end of the week.
One of the evictees David Kipyegon Kirui said he had been allocated five hectares of land at Ndoinet forest in 1996 by the government and issued with an allotment letter.
But Kirui said the Sh400,000 being offered by the government is only worth one hectares of land in Kuresoi.
“Some of us have documents showing we were legally issued with the land and the amount the government is offering should be commensurate to the value of the land we left behind,” Kirui who was armed with an allotment letter for plot number 05468 issued in 1996 said.
However ,the Mau Forest Task Force report indicated that the 4,565 hectares of Ndoinet forest in South Western Mau were opened for human settlement before being degazzetted.
The forest evictees protested that they had been ordered by government officials to leave the camps by Friday even before their issues have been addressed.
"I have refused to take the money as I believe it is not right for me to exchange my five hectares for Sh 400,000 only," said Joseph Sigilai Some who was also in possession of an allotment letter for five heactres of land.
The fresh row has emerged barely two weeks after President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto launched the final leg of the IDPs resettlement program in Nakuru county.
The President speaking while issuing cheques to some of the Mau Forest families at Kiplamaiywa in Kuresoi said the Government has set Sh832 million to resettle over 2,000 Mau forest households.
Uhuru said each family would receive Sh400,000 to enable them settle down and engage in income generating activities to improve their livelihoods.
But speaking in Nakuru on Tuesday, the forest evictees said they had filed a case challenging their eviction which has dragged on for years before a Nakuru Court.
"We are now being ordered to leave the camps even before the matter has been determined which is not fair," said Kirui.
Kirui said a report by the Ndungu Land Commission had in 2005 estimated the value of land in Kuresoi where their farms are situated at Sh200,000.
“We have been living in camps since 2009 and the government had promised to look into our grievances but in vain," he added.
Most of the 851 families at the Ndoinet Settlement Scheme were issued with the allotment letters through the District Commissioner office Nakuru.
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Samson Kiplagat said they were disappointed by the government decision to lump all Mau evictees together.
"There are different categories of forest evictees and the cases should be handled differently as some of us had been issued with the necessary documents for our land," said Kiplagat.