Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji's father, Yusuf Haji, has been dragged into the Mau Forest controversy as the second phase of evictions nears.
According to the Daily Nation on Saturday, September 7, the former commissioner of lands at the time of the allocations, Sammy Mwaita, stated that he did not regret issuing the land to top politicians while sharing the blame with former provincial administrators.
"I have no apologies to make. The first provincial commissioner who oversaw most of the allocations was the late Ishmael Chelang'a, followed by the late Zachary Ogongo and then Yusuf Haji," Mwaita revealed.
Mwaita defended himself against his move which has turned out to be the foundation of the current evictions.
"I followed the prevailing procedures and regulations as prescribed at the time by the government. The land allocation was done as a government project," Mwaita stated.
He further revealed other than the landless, more powerful people in former President Daniel Moi's government were beneficiaries of the allocation.
"Since independence, the unwritten policy for settlement was that 80% of the land went to the targeted beneficiaries while 20% was given to others.
"The laws of the land gave powers to the President to order excision of land to benefit the poor, landless, resettle people or to provide land for the establishment of public amenities," he disclosed.
Mwaita also allocated himself several pieces of land.
"I was also a beneficiary of the land allocation since like other Kenyans I was also land-pressed. You can't slaughter a cow and fail to taste the meat," he argued.
Mau complex forms the catchment of 12 main rivers that drain into several lakes, Nakuru, Turkana and Victoria included.
