All the water in the world does not come from the Mau, former President Daniel arap Moi said on Wednesday as the noise over the ongoing evictions from the forest reached a new high.
Addressing a press conference at his Kabarnet Gardens home in Nairobi, Mr Moi said he had exercised restraint over the Mau saga “because there would have been trouble” had he not.
He said he had not received any communication from the government on the planned repossession of the huge tracts of land under tea bushes he is said to hold in the water tower, but added that he saw no cause for alarm since tea was as “friendly to the environment” as trees were.
Mr Moi spoke as a team from the secretariat on the restoration of the Mau visited the 985-hectare Kiptagich farm — roughly the size of 1,000 football pitches — where about 5,000 people are employed. “I want to see how far they will go,” he said of the ongoing eviction of squatters from the forest. “When did they (the squatters) enter the forest? I did what I did to protect forests. Why don’t they talk about the Nyayo Tea Zones I established?”
He added: “Had I been a tribalist, there would have been trouble over the forest, but I restrained myself for a number of reasons. I love children and I love people.”
The former president has previously asked the government to tread with caution on the matter, and cautioned that the eviction process be devoid of political expediency.
Last week, an inter-ministerial committee approved dispossession of formerly powerful individuals who own land in the Mau, setting the stage for a potentially loaded round of dispossession once Cabinet approves the move.
The retired president and his youngest son, Gideon, form part of the list of big shots who could lose large parcels of land they are alleged to have used their power and influence to acquire.
The Mau saga has kicked up a storm against the government on its handling of the evictions, and has also brought out of the woodwork the powerful men who once served in Mr Moi’s regime.
Among these are former Kanu chairman Hosea Kiplagat and Roads minister Franklin Bett, with the former saying he would only vacate his 500-acre tea farm upon proper compensation.
Mr Bett, also the Bureti MP, insists he has never owned land in the 400,000-hectare forest complex.
Mr Kiplagat told the Nation that he bought 500 acres near the Kiptagich Tea Estate, 200 of which is under tea.
The soft-spoken former chairman of the Cooperative Bank said he is putting together documents to support his claim of an estimated Sh150 million at current rates.
“I am not going to please anyone and I am going to pursue this matter to the highest level since the law has to be followed. The Acquisition Act is clear,” said Mr Kiplagat.
