The fifteen schools that were built in the Maasai Mau forestland will not be re-opened for the first term this year, Narok County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti has said.
Kimiti said the schools that were closed down in October last year were operating illegally as they were not registered by the Ministry of Education as is required by the law.
The commissioner, however, said that all the candidates registered to sit for their national examinations in the schools were allowed to do their exams without any interruption.
“I personally supervised the candidates doing their exams. But we cannot allow the schools to continue operating as they sit on the forest land. We are yet to decide on how to utilize the school buildings,” he continued.
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Kimiti who spoke from his office Tuesday morning directed all chiefs to take data of all pupils who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), especially those who were evicted from the forest as part of ensuring 100 per cent transition to secondary schools.
“There will be no excuse for not joining Form One. The chiefs must ensure they have a record of all candidates who sat for KCPE and ensure they all join secondary or technical training centres,” he reiterated.
Kimiti reiterated that the government had banned any activity in Maasai Mau forest where 3,300 families were evicted recently.
“The 10-kilometre cut-line must be maintained to avoid possible re-invasion of the forest. We will not allow anyone to buy land without the approval of the Lands Board as per the law,” he said.
He said no family will be allowed to live in camps near the forest or receive any compensation from the government.
At the same time, Kimiti said they are welcoming any government agency willing to conserve the environment to plant trees in the forest.
After the eviction early last month, the government officially launched 10 million trees planting initiative to rehabilitate the Maasai Mau water tower following the end of the second eviction exercise.
This is after all the over 3,300 families living in the Maasai Mau moved out peacefully and voluntarily at the expiry of a 60-day eviction notice given by the government.
Over 500,000 tree seedlings have been planted manually and 4.5 million aerial seeds planted using helicopters.