Kakamega leaders warn against resettling of outsiders in Lugari forest
Leaders in drawn from Kakamega County have warned the government against any plans to ressetle people in parts of the Lugari-Turbo Forest.
The leaders who spoke at this year’s Mashujaa Day Celebrations held at the Lumakanda Grounds in Lugari fired a warning to the government against the intended plans to bring people from neighbouring counties to settle in parts of the forest.
The first to fire the warning shot was Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe who raised the red flag, revealing that some Kenya Forest officers from the neighboring Uasin Gishu County were registering people with the intention of ressetling them in parts of the forest.
He said that any plans to hive off parts of the forest form human settlement must only be driven by Likuyani and Lugari residents.
” We know what is going on and we are warning them that we shall not accept.How do you come from outside this area and decide things for us,” Mugabe said.
His remarks were lauded by Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula who further revealed that some officers are already extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public with the intention of settling them there.
Savula warned officers from Uasin Gishu to keep off the forest as the matter only needs the input of local residents.
” Just keep of and we are not going to sit down and watch as people from outside decide what to do for us,” he said.
Ressetlement of people in the Forest has been a thorny issue since 2017.
It is in 2017 when Local leaders and residents of Likuyani and Lugari constituencies came out for the first time to oppose plans to hive off part of the forest to resettle people.
The residents stated that if there are such plans then people from Lugari and Likuyani who have protected the forest for many years but remain landless must be considered instead of giving the land to beneficiaries from outside.
Former Likuyani MP Enock Kibunguchy led the protests then where together with Savula, they alleged that the government was plotting to resettle people on part of the 8,000 hectares without the knowledge of local residents.
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