President William Ruto has announced that 13,000 people evicted from the Mau Forest will each receive Sh200,000 from the government as compensation, marking a major step toward addressing the long-running grievances of families displaced during efforts to protect the Mau Forest water tower.

The compensation package is aimed at resolving one of Kenya’s most persistent land disputes, stemming from evictions carried out over the years as successive governments moved to reclaim and rehabilitate the Mau Forest Complex, one of the country’s most critical water catchment areas.

Families who lost their homes and livelihoods during these operations have for years pushed for government redress, arguing that they were left without adequate resettlement or compensation at the time of their eviction.

With 13,000 beneficiaries set to receive Sh200,000 each, the total payout represents a significant financial commitment by the government toward settling the matter.

The Mau Forest Complex is the largest of Kenya’s five main water towers, feeding numerous rivers and lakes that are critical to agriculture, wildlife, and communities across the Rift Valley and beyond.

Over the decades, large sections of the forest were encroached upon through both organised settlement schemes and illegal allocations, prompting successive governments to carry out evictions aimed at protecting the ecosystem from further degradation.

These evictions, some of which affected thousands of families at a time, have long been a politically and socially sensitive issue.

Displaced families have repeatedly called for a lasting solution that balances environmental conservation with fair treatment of those who were removed from the land, many of whom had lived there for generations or had been settled there through past government initiatives.

The announcement of compensation is likely to be received as a significant, if partial, response to those long-standing demands. For affected families, the Sh200,000 payout offers a measure of financial relief after years of uncertainty and, in many cases, hardship following their displacement.

The move also reflects the government’s broader efforts to address historical land injustices tied to conservation efforts, an issue that has remained a recurring theme in Kenya’s land and environmental policy debates.

Further details on the disbursement process, timelines, and criteria for identifying eligible beneficiaries are expected to be outlined as the government moves to implement the compensation plan.