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Raila orders stop to Mau ruin
DAILY NATION
Story by LUCAS BARASA and JULIENNE LAULER
22. 07. 2008
The fate of thousands of people living in Mau Forest will be
determined by a task force launched by Prime Minister Raila Odinga
.
However, the 21-member team was directed to ensure any further
destruction of the water tower or encroachment was immediately
stopped.
Speaking after naming the team at his office, Mr Odinga who has
been facing opposition from some Rift Valley MPs over the Mau
Complex said the committee has to stop further cutting of trees
and charcoal burning.
“No vehicle should transport timber from Mau... There’s an
inescapable imperative to restore the forests,” Mr Odinga, who was
accompanied by Agriculture Minister William Ruto, Lands Minister
James Orengo and MP Isaac Ruto, said.
Compensated
The committee has two weeks to develop its terms of reference and
present for approval. It will carry an audit of people living in
Mau and decide those to be compensated.
The PM denied that those living in the forest must leave by
October and said they will not be evicted “but resettled elsewhere
in a humane manner.”
Mau, he said, was a vital national, regional and international
asset as most rivers that drain into Lake Victoria originate from
the resource.
The Greater River Nile originates from Lake Victoria and Mr Odinga
said the lives of people who live downstream including Sudan and
Egypt will be affected if the forest is left to die.
The task force comprises of senior officials from relevant
government ministries, representatives of stakeholder groups and
expert organisations.
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