As much as the government might be genuine in its push to rid the Mau Forest of destructive elements, the blame will and has already begun landing on ODM boss Raila Odinga.
Soon, the former Prime Minister will be in even more trouble and have a load of blame heaped on him by leaders from the Kalenjin community, whose tribesmen are being driven out.
Though he might be innocent and could not be influencing President Uhuru Kenyatta to settle political goals with Deputy President William Ruto, here are the reasons why he can't escape the 'villain' tag;
1. The timing
It is quite suspicious that it was only after his truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta that the evictions began, with many Kenyans being aware that he has always been against people residing in the forest.
It becomes questionable as to why Uhuru waited for 7 years, since his election, to evict the settlers if he always intended to do it, which makes Raila the man who might be pushing him into it.
2. Raila has already tried it
Raila's attempts to evict the settlers are the main reason behind his 2010 fallout with Ruto, after which the DP, then the Eldoret North MP, rallied the Rift Valley region against his (Raila) 2013 presidential bid with the evictions as the excuse.
Raila, then the Prime Minister, proceeded to lose the elections, which makes him appear as now trying to use his newfound strength beside Uhuru to achieve what he has always wanted to do.
It is also suspicious that attempts to evict the settlers have only been witnessed with Raila close to the government.
3. The Ruto factor
It seems to be a continuation of the harassment of the DP and his allies have been undergoing since the truce, which began with the likes of MPs Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati) and Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu) losing their bodyguards.
Since that only came into the play during Uhuru's second term, specifically after the truce, Raila cannot escape the blame.
Already, a section of Rift Valley politicians is blaming Raila for the evictions.