KFS reclaim 2,000 acres from Moi
Former President Daniel Moi has lost a section the multi-million Kiptagich Tea Estate to the national forester.
This is after the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) obtained a title deed for a section of Mau Forest complex that was illegally allocated to Mr Moi in early 1978 by the Narok County Council.
Narok North Forest Officer Paul Koech told Nation that the parcel, where a section of Kiptagich Tea Estate is situated in Transmara Forest, now belongs to KFS.
Speaking during tree planting at Kisiriri Secondary School at the weekend, Mr Koech said about 2,333 acres at Kiptagich area was in KFS possession.
He added that another 4,000 acres occupied by the Narok County Council and individuals had also been reverted to the forester.
Mr Koech said they were waiting for directives from government on next course of action. He said that Mr Moi might soon be among people who will pay land rates to KFS.
According to the Narok County Council records, the parcel was a trust land under the local authority before it was transferred to KFS several years ago.
The government recently embarked on an exercise to conserve the Mau water tower, which had been excised, degazetted and allocated to squatters and senior people in the previous government.
So far, more than 2,000 families in the South Western Mau have been evicted.
The second phase of the eviction targets Kiptagich, Likia, Mauche and adjacent areas.
“We are doing all we can to repossess all the land that has been allocated (to individuals) illegally in the water tower and reverse the effects of climate change by planting trees,” Mr Koech said.
The forester added that government surveyors had been on the ground for the last one week erecting beacons to establish the gazetted forest to avert further encroachment.
He said 173 households were evicted from Maasai Mau forests and their houses set ablaze last month. He said the families had encroached more than three kilometres into the forest.
Narok North DC Godfrey Gikochi, who was the guest of honour during the tree planting, said permits for transporting forest produce had been banned to curb further deforestation.
Mr Gikochi, who last week led a security team from Narok to overfly the forest, said wanton destruction of the forest was still going on.
