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MP allocated land in Mau, report
says
Story by NATION Team
18. July 2008
Bureti MP Franklin Bett is one of the leaders allocated land in
Mau Forest.
However, the 10 hectares at Kerisoi Station in Kericho was
declared illegal by the commission of inquiry into the irregular
allocation of public land.
Lawyer Paul Ndung’u chaired the commission appointed by President
Kibaki in 2003. The team handed over its report to the President
in June, 2004.
The report, commonly known as “The Ndung’u Report” says that Mr
Bett had been allocated land in the forest to put up his Frankways
Sawmills in 1995.
The reason the Commission gave for revoking the MP’s title deed
land was that the area was too big for a saw mill.
Mr Bett was one of the Rift Valley MPs who attended a press
conference at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday to reject the
Government’s plans to evict people from Mau Forest. He however
left before the press conference started.
A total of 10 MPs from the province, led by Chepalungu MP Isaac
Ruto, told farmers living in the forest to defy Prime Minister
Raila Odinga’s directive.
At a stakeholders’ forum convened by the PM on Tuesday, it was
resolved that those living in Mau forest should vacate before
October.
Apart from Mr Bett, no other individual is mentioned in the
Ndung’u report as being a beneficiary in the vast forest, which is
the biggest water catchment area in the country.
But the report has pointed out that civic authorities including
Bomet County Council and Elburgon Urban Council and cooperative
societies like Kericho Rural Multipurpose Cooperative Society were
allocated forest land illegally.
Clear policy
And a former Cabinet minister has blamed the Government over the
raging Mau controversy, saying it lacks a clear policy.
Former Environment minister Newton Kulundu regretted that a ban he
had imposed on settlements in the forest in Narok, Kericho and
Bomet districts five years ago had since been lifted by his
successors and the land used for farming.
Reported by Muchemi Wachira, Lucas Barasa and Odhiambo Orlale
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