The government must strive to inculcate a culture where citizens value forests and understand the value of increasing the country’s forest cover.
While the government is intent on evicting people from the Mau Forest, the exercise should not end there but should also focus on the individuals who acquired land in the country’s largest water tower and subsequently sold it to unsuspecting individuals who are now being evicted.
We agree with the call made by the Maasai Council of Elders for the government agencies to name and punish the beneficiaries of forest land. These are the rich and powerful individuals who excised huge chunks of forest land in cahoots with their cronies.
It would be unfair for the government to only go for the current occupiers while ignoring those who facilitated the excision and sale of forest land in the first place.
After years of encroachment, the Mau Forest complex is under serious threat and unless urgent mitigation measures are adopted the river sources in the area will dry up.
The government must also ensure that the evictions are done wholesomely to ensure there is no hint of selectiveness. Already there are murmurs of protest that only one part of the forest is being targeted. This should not be allowed to happen.
The forest faces a clear and present danger of decimation, which will have serious ramifications on areas and neighbouring countries that rely on the water source. The government must also strive to inculcate a culture where citizens value forests and understand the value of increasing the country’s forest cover.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
