State reverses order to close 15 Maasai Mau schools

A section of Mau forest. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By GEORGE SAYAGIE
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Summary

• Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya has reversed the directive to close 15 schools that fall under a section targeted for phased evictions at the Maasai Mau.
• Mr Natembeya said the decision was made in order to allow candidates in the schools to sit for their national examinations uninterrupted in October.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya has reversed the directive to close 15 schools that fall under a section targeted for phased evictions at the Maasai Mau.

Mr Natembeya said the decision was made in order to allow candidates in the schools to sit for their national examinations uninterrupted in October.

He, however, maintained that the families who have encroached the water tower would still be required to move upon the expiry of the 60-day grace period that he had announced last wee, which, he said, also coincided with the last day of the national examinations.

Mr Natembeya said households with no children in school should use the grace period to slowly leave the forest.

"We made a decision to let the pupils go back to school until after the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) which will be done at the lapse of the 60 days window to allow the settlers move," said Mr Natembeya

He said while majority of the schools are not registered as examination centres, any of the schools with Class 8 candidates will not be interfered with.

The schools are Kirobon, Senetwet, Kapsibilwo, Kitoben, Indianit, Kabarak, Noosogami, Chorwet, Ogilgei, Sebetet, Olabai, Koitabai, Chebirbelek, Chebetet and Lelechwet.

The decision by the regional commissioner comes two days after the schools failed to open for third term on Monday.

The Kenya Forest Service rangers and police officers have been deployed to the section of the forest that is under impasse, as reports indicated that the security forces had issued stern warnings to teachers not to allow pupils into the schools.

A resident Wilson Kimutai said the KFS officers moved into the schools as early as 6 am and ordered the

Earlier, an outspoken Emurrua Dikirr MP Johanna Ngeno was arrested yesterday at Olmekenyu Centre in Narok as the political impasse deepened over the State’s latest plans to evict settlers from the Mau Forest.

According to charges preferred against him by Police, Mr Ngeno, famously known as 'Ngong' was preparing to lead protests against the second phase of Mau evictions.