Mau Forest politics: a detailed explanation

It is estimated that there are 25,000 people who either legally or illegally have settled in both Mau East and Mau West forests. The Government plans to resettle them elsewhere and fence off the water tower, one of the five in the country.
The Kipsigis community, the main occupants of the water-catchment area, oppose the eviction, [...]

Why Mau Forest is so important

The larger Mau Forest Complex, is one of the five main “water towers” of Kenya, the others being Mt. Elgon, Mt. Kenya, the Aberdare Range and the Cherangani Hills.
Because of massive destruction in the Mau Forest, Lake Nakuru may be extinct in another eight years unless the current destruction is contained. The after effects of [...]

What is the Mau Forest?

The Mau Forest complex is the largest remaining near-contiguous bloc of montane indigenous forest in East Africa.
It covers an approximate area of 350,000 ha and is situated about 170 km north-west of Nairobi and stretches west bordering Kericho District, Narok District to the south, Nakuru to the north and Bomet to the south-west. The forest [...]

Raila in tough battle over Mau forest

As with everything else in Kenya, the conservation and destruction of the Mau forest is proving an intractable matter for one simple reason: too many vested political interests will ensure that nothing will change despite ongoing destruction of the forest and which can only be described as a looting spree.
Many people wish for the Mau [...]

Kibaki, Raila find Truth Commission an easy way out

This is official government policy: the perpetrators of political and ethnic clashes will not be prosecuted but Kenyans should instead forgive and forget all past injustices.

Anxious to avoid prosecuting their key allies, President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga used the weekend trip to Nyanza Province to continually stress upon political and ethnic reconciliation [...]

AFRICOM could tackle LRA

By Scott A Morgan
In the arena of international diplomacy, frustration with a political party or insurgency movement can lead to unique opportunities.
Sometimes this gives rise to new strategic alliances being formed between old adversaries. There also could be changes regarding how legislative bodies determine not only how dollars are spent in a country but how [...]

Building a police state

Men sprayed with machine gun fire. Police with sub-machine guns patrolling the streets on horseback. Checkpoints on every major highway. Armed escort for inter-city buses.
These are characteristics of a country either under occupation or a state of emergency. It could also imply a fearsome dictatorship. But these are the characteristics of today’s Kenya. But inspite [...]

Kibaki creates 20 provinces; ethnic clashes now feared

UPDATE – 22nd July 2009:
The Standard has reliably learnt that the number of sub-provinces is now 22 after two were added, reportedly to accommodate interests of certain communities in Nyanza and Rift Valley.
Southern Nyanza, which was initially lumped together with Eastern Nyanza, will now have its headquarters in Homa Bay. Eastern Nyanza will be administered [...]

President Obama addresses Africa

by Scott A Morgan
When it was announced that President Obama would give a major policy speech towards Sub-Saharan Africa in Ghana, there was considerable interest about what that would entail.
Obama’s historic speech which was given to the Parliament of Ghana covered several areas:
1). Africa’s current role on the world stage,
2). The vital role of good [...]

Ocampo to open envelope today

Kenya’s leaders are in panic mode as International Crimes Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, opens an envelope with a list of top ten perpetrators of the 2008 post election violence.
Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, told the BBC that he will open the envelope today. However, Ocampo will not disclose the names contained in the [...]