President William Ruto has announced that the government will compensate more than 12,000 people who were evicted from the Mau Forest in Narok County, in a move aimed at resolving one of the country’s long-standing land and environmental disputes.
The announcement was made on Friday during the burial of the late Johanna Ng’eno, the Member of Parliament for Emurua Dikirr Constituency, who died alongside five others in a helicopter crash in Mosop, Nandi County last weekend.
Speaking to thousands of mourners gathered at Mogondo village, President Ruto said the government will include the compensation programme in the upcoming national budget to help the affected families rebuild their lives.
“After we had dealt with the 2,000 families, leaders from Narok said many others had been left out. At the end of last year, I was given a list of 12,000. In the next budget, we will provide funds to compensate them,” Ruto said.
The President noted that in 2023 the government had already assisted about 2,000 families who had been living in temporary camps after the eviction from the forest complex. Each family received KSh300,000 to help them relocate and purchase land elsewhere.
However, local leaders later raised concerns that thousands of other families who were also displaced had not benefited from the initial programme because they were not living in tents at the time.
To further address land challenges in the region, Ruto announced that the government would purchase 5,000 acres of land currently occupied by families on a farm owned by the family of former Provincial Commissioner Isaiah Cheluget so that residents can formally own the land.
On the long-disputed Angata Baragoi land issue, the President said the government will also buy 1,500 acres for local residents, describing the move as part of broader efforts to resolve historical land conflicts in the region.
“We have also sorted out the land issues that have pitted members of the Maasai and the Kalenjin communities, and they should now live in peace,” Ruto said.
The funeral of the late MP Ng’eno drew top national leaders, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who paid tribute to the legislator’s leadership and development record.
President Ruto described Ng’eno as a dedicated public servant whose efforts helped advance the government’s affordable housing agenda and champion development in Emurua Dikirr.
“Hon. Johanna Ng’eno lived a life of dedicated service, making a remarkable and lasting contribution to the welfare of his constituents, our nation and humanity,” the President said.
The government also pledged to continue development projects that the late MP had championed, including the establishment of a constituent campus of Maasai Mara University in Emurua Dikirr and the construction of student hostels worth KSh750 million.
