The most encouraging development in the Maasai Mau Forest saga is the announcement that the government will have all those involved in the illegal sale of land and destruction of this major water tower prosecuted. These are people who carved out large swathes of land. The result is the deforestation that is to blame for the drying up of rivers that originate from here, to the detriment of millions of Kenyans and other East Africans.
Those to face the law include some politicians, former Lands ministry officials and group ranch leaders who paved the way for the invasion and illegal sale and allocation of public land. According to Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya, all the evidence needed to prove their culpability has been assembled and it will only be a matter of time before the suspects are hauled to court.
Should this pledge be followed through, it will end nearly three decades of inaction. However, it will take a lot of hard work to restore the forest to sustain humans, plants and wildlife. As the country struggles to attain the 10 per cent forest cover recommended by the United Nations from its current seven per cent, the conservation of this water catchment area is not negotiable. It must be done to prevent the denudation that has been witnessed for several decades, with the authorities either condoning it or looking the other way.
The gravity of the problem is evident in the fact that 17,101 hectares of the original 45,743 hectares and 32,000 hectares of its reserve were excised in an orgy of greed and impunity that should never be allowed to happen again. Several persons of interest have been named and it will be a betrayal and a huge disappointment if the much publicised intention to have them charged is not realised.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has assured the public that no one, irrespective of status in society, will be spared. All the big and small, who are believed to have played a role in the madness that has seen the ravaging of this national asset, will have his or her day in court.
However, public scepticism is understandable. The evidence of the damage and those involved has always been there, but despite all the talk, absolutely nothing happened. If this new resolve translates into some decisive action, the better for all of us. However, the settlers, who have been voluntarily streaming out of the area lately despite having bought the land from the crooked dealers or having been duped into moving in, deserve kudos. This is the best chance to begin to restore the gem in the regional ecosystem that is the Mau Forest complex.
