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MPs Urge
State to Resettle Forest Evictees
The
East African Standard (Nairobi)
October 25,
2005
Vitalis
Kimutai
Nairobi
Two Kanu MPs
want the Government to unconditionally resettle more than 10,000
families evicted from Mau Forest.
Bomet MP Nick
Salat and his Sotik counterpart Anthony Kimetto said all the
evictees in Narok South should be resettled and compensated by the
Government.
Speaking during
a rally at Mulot trading centre in Bomet on Sunday, the MPs said
the Government was not interested in resettling the evictees.
Recently, the Government said it would resettle those who had been
evicted from forests, but this has not been done.
Salat said the
Government's resettlement claim was a public relation gimmick.
Kimetto said
governments should protect citizens and their properties.
Narok DC Hassan
Farah said at the weekend that 282 families would be resettled in
Nakuru District.
Separately, 70
Kanu officials and elders from Narok South yesterday faulted the
Government's verification of land title deeds in the area.
Spokespersons
Kalyasoi Toltol and Johnstone Mibei, said the provincial
administration and land officials had locked out thousands of
people, with genuine title deeds, out of the exercise.
Others had not
been issued with title deeds yet they had purchase agreements and
were likely to be left out of the resettlemnt, they said.
In a statement
read to the Press in Bomet, the leaders said the Government should
not only resettle the victims in their former farms, but give
those who are resettled land equivalent in size to what they
previously owned.
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