Panic is high in Mau Forest area, after the government set up police camps in the area, in preparations for fresh evictions.
Hundreds of illegal squatters carrying their belongings and driving livestock have been fleeing to settlement schemes around the forest area, after they were allegedly given a 24 hour notice by Narok County Commissioner Arthur Osiya.
Last week Mr Osiya led a team of government officials to fly over the Mau and warned residents against encroaching on forest land. He said that about 3000 acres of the forest land have been encroached by human activities including farming and burning of charcoal.
The water critical water catchment area is currently under threat due to deforestation and human activity.
The county commissioner however denied that the squatters are being forcefully evicted , saying that they were moving voluntarily. He further insisted that the officers deployed to the forest are there to deter more encroachment of the land.
