Ruto steers clear of Mau eviction debate

By VITALIS KIMUTAI
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Deputy President William Ruto Friday visited Narok South sub-county but steered clear of the planned Mau forest evictions even as leaders from the Kalenjin community intensified calls for the government to halt the exercise.

Dr Ruto’s silence came as Kericho governor Paul Chepkwony threatened to move to the International Criminal Court at The Hague should the government proceed with the planned phase two of the eviction.

60,000 FAMILIES

Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen, who was at a church function with Prof Chepkwony in the neighbouring Kericho county, demanded that President Uhuru Kenyatta intervenes in the matter to avert a looming humanitarian crisis.

The impending eviction of 60,000 families settled along the Mau forest complex has been snowballing into a fight of titans with 35 prominent lawyers from Rift Valley moving to court to thwart the government action. Should the government proceed with the evictions, more than 10,000 school going children in 31 schools in Ololulunga, Melelo, Sogoo and Segemian wards in Narok county will be affected.

It is a delicate balancing act for the government as it seeks to restore the Mau forest complex, a regional water tower, in an ambitious conservation effort, as it stands accused of violating the law by kicking out families from private land they bought from group ranches.


The evictions are also likely to put Mr Ruto in a tight spot regarding whether he will stand by the government action or side with the likely victims who hail from his Rift Valley backyard.

But Mr Ruto made a whistle stop tour of seven projects in Emurrua Dikirr constituency in the company of Narok governor Samuel Tunai, his Bomet counterpart Hillary Barchok and area MP Johanna Ngeno, his Chuka Igamba Ngombe counterpart Patrick Munene and Nimrod Mbai (Kitui East).

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Addressing a rally at Mogindo where he opened the Emurua Dikirri Technical Training Institute, Mr Ruto instead dwelt on development, saying the government had constructed 130 technical institutes across the country in the last five years.

“The Jubilee administration is hiring 3,000 trainers in technical institutions across the country with 1,000 already having been employed, with the others set to be taken on board in the current financial year,” said Mr Ruto.

He added that Sh1 billion had been set aside to connect 25,000 homesteads in Narok county with electricity in the Last Mile connectivity programme, to spur industrial growth and create jobs for the youth.

He urged youths to take advantage of the high number of technical institutes to gain technical skills that would make them self-employed as the country embraces industrialisation.

“The Big Four agenda rolled out by President Uhuru Kenyatta would not succeed unless youths take advantage of the upgrade of training facilities and expansion of TTI’s so as to get skills and competencies to participate in transformation of the country,” he said.