Chama Cha Mashinani(CCM) Party Leader Isaac Ruto has denied claims that he owns huge tracts of land in Mau Forest.
“I do not own a single inch of land in the Mau,” Ruto claimed.
Isaac Ruto: I do not own a single inch of land in the Mau #NewsNight
@HusseinMohamedg pic.twitter.com/dmaQuN0vd4— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) August 20, 2019
In 2009, Former Heritage Minister William Ntimama accused Ruto of allocating Mau Forest land to people from his Chepalungu Constituency. According to Ntimama, this was the main reason the then MP was opposed to the first phase of Mau evictions.
But now the former Bomet governor has refuted these claims. Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV’s Hussein Mohammed on Tuesday, he claimed that no one has encroached government land among the 60,000 people targeted in the second phase of Mau eviction.
According to Ruto, the 60,000 people being targeted are occupying a Trust land which was set aside by Narok County Government for human settlement. In fact, this was the only reason he rallied other Rift Valley leaders to meet Raila. They wanted him to help stop the evictions.
Isaac Ruto on his visit to Raila Odinga’s office: We were not there on political matters. We were there to talk to Raila on the Mau question
I know that those people have not encroached on gov’t land #NewsNight
@HusseinMohamedg pic.twitter.com/HlcXbVdg7o— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) August 20, 2019
In June, Environment CS Keriako Tobiko announced the Government’s intention to carry out the second round of the Mau Forest evictions to clear the water tower of illegal settlers.
Mr Tobiko warned that there would be no compensation as the targeted group has illegally encroached on government land.