Boniface Mwangi's Demand to Former President Daniel Moi

Activist Boniface Mwangi on Saturday made a request to Baringo Senator Gideon Moi concerning Former President Daniel Moi. 

Posting on his Twitter page, the former Starehe parliamentary candidate asked Gideon to tell his father to return the acres of land he allegedly grabbed.

"Moi’s Kiptagich Tea Estate has taken local farmers hostage. Hey @MoiGideon tell your father to return the more than 6,000 acres of the Mau forest land that he grabbed. Save our water towers! " he exclaimed. 

[caption caption="File image of Baringo Senator Gideon Moi"][/caption]

It is alleged that the former president was among the first people to encroach Mau Forest, one of the most important water towers in East Africa. 

It is also claimed that he planted tea on the stated land, now known as Kiptagich Tea Estate. 

According to Mwangi, the farm has held hostage about 16,000 farmers who are now being exploited by being underpaid.

In January, the farmers protested over the Sh6.80 per kilogram payment which they claimed was very low compared to farmers in Mununga Tea Factory in Kirinyaga who get Sh60 per kilogram. 

However, the former President previously asserted that he did not grab the forest land as he was given by the Maasai.

“The land under which the much talked about Kiptagich Tea Estate is located was part of the trust land under Narok County Council and I was allocated by the Maasai community to plant tea to stop people from encroaching the forest,” noted the former President while replying to claims that he grabbed the land. 

“I did not destroy trees to pave way for tea growing. It was originally a bamboo forest,” he reiterated.

In 2013, Moi lost a section the multi-million Kiptagich Tea Estate to the Kenya Forest Service which obtained a title deed to part of the land.

Activist Mwangi's demand comes at a time when President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered a ban on logging in the country as a way of preserving the country's environment.

[caption caption="File image of farmers picking tea"][/caption]