The next phase of evictions from gazetted forests will be in Marmanet in Laikipia District, Lands Minister Amos Kimunya has said.

He said the Government would remove squatters from the forests in Laikipia once it is done with Mau Forest.

Speaking during KTN's Newsline programme, the minister said the squatters in Marmanet had resisted past attempts to demarcate the forest boundary.

He said destruction of the water catchment area was alarming and that rivers from the hills were drying up.

The minister said forests in Mt Elgon and Marmanet had been given out irregularly.

The planned evictions, he said, were a systematic implementation of the Ndung'u Land Report and will go on until public areas and water catchments were secured.

Squatters in Marmanet forest, which extends to Orabel and Muchongoi in Baringo, live in Uaso Narok Scheme near Nyahururu.

The Uaso Nyiro River, which drains towards the North, rises from the Marmanet forest and drains into Lake Baringo.

The Kanu Government settled squatters in the forest in 1993 in Baringo, Laikipia and Nakuru districts.

The squatters resisted eviction attempts early this year when they rejected surveyors sent by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

Later, the 10,000-plus squatters filed a constitutional reference in the High Court seeking to block a coalition of environmental NGOs that sought to quash the degazettment of the forest to create settlements.

The NGOs, led by Forest Network Action Group and Kenya Land Alliance, wants 13 notices degazetting several forests in 2002 nullified.

Nakuru lawyer Juma Kiplenge, who filed the constitutional reference, had argued that the nullification of the notices would invalidate the title deeds given to his clients.

The case is set for hearing on July 25 and 26 before Justices Mohammed Ibrahim, Milton Makandia and Joseph Nyamu.

The defendants include the Attorney-General, the ministers of Lands and Settlement, and Environment and Natural Resources.

Several Kanu MPs led by Gideon Moi (Baringo Central), Charles Keter (Belgut) and Dr Sammy Ruto (Kipkelion), have been enjoined in the suit.

In the talk show on Wednesday, Kimunya said the evictions started in Mt Kenya, which had been invaded by hundreds of squatters. A number of them cultivated bhang. He said evictions went on in the Aberdare Ranges, extending to his own Kipririri Constituency.

Kimunya said those who had title deeds for road reserves, forests, schools, playgrounds and hospitals should validate them through his office.

He said title deeds are invalid if the process through which they were acquired was not legal as owners must show how they acquired the land in the first place.