Former Kuresoi South lawmaker Zakayo Cheruiyot has challenged Deputy President William Ruto to intervene in the ongoing Mau Forest evictions.
20 days to the deadline of voluntary exit from the water catchment zone, which will be succeeded by forceful evictions, the DP remains silent and yet to speak on the matter.
This is made even more questionable by the fact that he has always been in the front line in defending the settlers, most of whom are from his Kalenjin Rift Valley bedrock.
Cheruiyot now says that he is surprised by the DP's apparent unwillingness to speak, adding that he has to come in and stop his government from interfering with people's lives.
“I thought the Deputy President will step in and stop these criminal activities by the Jubilee government,” he is quoted by the Daily Nation.
The former Interior Principal Secretary added that the pending forceful evictions are heartless and ought to be stopped, claiming that some settlers have since fled the area.
"The intended evictions are heartless and will cause a major humanitarian crisis in the targeted areas," he added.
Similar calls have been made by a group of Rift Valley politicians who have fully thrown their weight behind the settlers, claiming that they own the land rightfully.
But on the other hand, the evictions have been completely backed by politicians from the Maasai community, who have hailed it as a major step towards conserving the complex.