The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is seeking a private sanctuary to evict more than 3,500 residents who allegedly declined to allow the construction of an electric fence in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County.
Tsavo Conservation Area Senior Warden in charge of community affairs Zainab Salim signed the addressed letter to Taita Hills and Saltlick Lodges, which stated the KWS is seeking the interventions of the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary to evict the squatters at Kamtonga-Alia stretch.
Tension has mounted in the area after the residents declined to voluntarily move out of the over 2,000-acre land to allow the construction of the Sh 40 million fence.The sanctuary is claiming ownership of the land where residents had settled since the 1980s. The fence has stalled for over 10 years after the residents moved to court to block KWS from implementing the project.
Vandalism
Ms Salim stated that the residents who have settled there have torched several poles and stolen materials meant to construct the fence. She noted that the vandalism had imposed another budget on the organisation and also posed insecurity to the team undertaking the project. The court had ordered the fencing of the 30 kilometre Kamtonga-Alia to continue after residents sued KWS for encroaching into their land.
“Please note that after the court ruling that the fence has not interfered with the complaints parcel of land and ordered continuation to completion of it, KWS has embarked to complete it as per that court order,” the letter said.
“After the exercise commenced, tension by local communities started mounting and by yesterday morning our fence team upon reaching the site reported vandalism suspected it could have been done by those communities who have settled along the fence construction line claiming land ownership,” said Ms Salim.
KWS has also held a meeting with the residents but they declined to allow the project to continue. However, the locals are now appealing to the State to spare them from the looming eviction and to hasten the process of issuing them with individual title deeds.
