About 120 families are facing evictions from their homes within Gwassi and Rang'wa forests in Homa Bay County.
The families have since been given a 60-day notice to move out of the forests in Suba, Homa Bay County, as the government seeks to conserve forests.
The notice was given by area County Commissioner Herman Shambi who said that the group, which is also engaging in agriculture, is living inside a gazetted forest.
“The families live in gazetted forests. I have given them 60 days to move out of the forest lest they will be evicted forcefully,” he is quoted by the Standard on Friday.
He accused the families of encroaching into over 1000 hectares of land and engaging in destruction of the forests, resulting in dwindling water supply in the county.
Shambi also claimed that some are using the forest cover to engage in criminal activities, including bhang cultivation.
"The forests are some of the key water towers in the region. Destroying them will lead to desertification,” he added.
Also under threat are the Kodera and Wire forests in Rachonyo South, where massive illegal logging activities are said to be ongoing.
This comes amid an ongoing similar campaign in the Maasai Mau Forest, where settlers are also being accused of destroying the water catchment zone.