At the helm of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has rattled snakes after a directive was issued to reclaim all grabbed forest lands – By Gerald Gekara.
Kenya’s land debacle dates back ages before the colonialists set their eyes on East Africa.
The British then created policies that separated thousands from their ancestral land. However, these policies were extended after independence, leading to sequential ethnic divisions, especially over traditional land.
In order to manage these resources, a president needs a man capable of smoking out the big fish who supposedly have grabbed huge tracts of land, sacrificing Kenya’s scarce green spaces for concrete jungles.
Ndung’u Land Report
Keriako Tobiko says he will stop at nothing to implement the controversial Ndung’u Land Report, a recommendation which land agencies including the ministry of lands are yet to implement fully.
The report outlined detail of instances where public land was allocated to private owners and corporate entities.
Such lands, included the heavily disputed Mau Forest, which features big names in Kenya’s political landscape including the late former President Daniel Arap Moi.
The report also detailed allocations in Ngong Forest which were set aside for public projects. However, it was recently discovered that public officers allocated nearly 2,000 acres of the forest land to vast real estate owners mainly in Langata and Nairobi Dam estates.
Ngong Forest Drama
In his presentation to a Senate Committee on Lands, Environment, and Forestry, Tobiko revealed that private developers owning posh Lang’ata estates were allocated land gazetted for school development.
He added that the gazette notice by Environment minister Francis Lotodo in 1998, clearly indicated that the 132-acre section of the forest ended up in the hands of powerful individuals.
This prompted the Ministry to issue a demolition notice to reclaim the lost public land, as well as prosecute those found guilty of effecting the illegal allocations.
“The government will repossess all forest land grabbed by powerful people in this country. We will not look at the tribe, political party affiliation, or social status. We must protect our forests from illegal encroachment,” Mr. Tobiko added.
On their part, the estate owners have moved to court to get restraining orders against the action.
The estates, Royal Park, Sun Valley I and II, Lang’ata Gardens, Langa’ta View Gardens and Forest Edge estates have urged Tobiko to follow the law and confirm the eligibility of their actions.
Finding the Balance
While appearing before the committee, Tobiko was put to task over his demolitions to the poor, with Kipkellion West MP Hillary Koskei scorning him for Kariobangi evictions.
“It has been 22 years since these people settled on the land. Where have you been all this time? Is it only now that you are waking up to implement the Ndung’u report? If that is the case, it should be implemented in full,” Mr Koskei said.
Mau Forest
Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were cast a spotlight on Kiptagich Tea Estate, urging the Ministry to reclaim the land.
Mr Tobiko told the committee in 1932, Mau Forest measured 7,239 acres and that just after independence in 1963, when the forest was declared a central forest, it had shrunk by nearly half to 3,722.5 acres. As of 1999, Mau forest cover has been reduced to just 330.39 acres.
