Interior CS Fred Matiang’i was blocked from resettling 40,000 families which were evicted from the Mau Forest region.
A ruling by Environment and Land Court Justice John Mutungi on Wednesday, December 16, halted the issuance of title deeds as announced by Matiang’i in September 2020.
The CS had stated that the government signed an agreement with the affected communities that had been evicted from their homes.
Kipsigis and Tugen families were to receive a 5-acre title deed per family while the Ogiek community was to be issued a block title deed.
The Ogiek went to court to challenge the process, throwing Matiang’i’s plan into the headwind.
The community claimed that the procedure was in violation of the judgment of an Arusha-based human rights court that regarded them as ancestral forest dwellers entitled to residing in Mau Forest.
Justice Mutungi directed that both parties needed to consult each other and reach a mutual agreement.
Four other appeals that were filed separately but on the same subject matter were further absorbed into the ruling made by the judge.
A petition submitted on behalf of the communities by Nakuru County Assembly Deputy Speaker Samuel Tonui wanted the government to remove the caveat and provide the landowners with title deeds.
Another organization called Lipwop Morop has also been enjoined as an involved party in the case.
The parties were granted 15 days to prepare and serve their papers before the case is heard.
