A section of residents in South Mugirango, Kisii county has demonstrated condemning plans by the County Government of Kisii to evict them in order to create a forest.
This comes shortly after the county government started a project of planting seedlings in Ndonyo, as part of an effort to safeguard the springs around Kisii from drying up.
The angered residents have however expressed opposition to the plan and opted to take to the streets on Friday to demonstrate and condemn the county government's move of trying to evict them from their lands at Ndonyo hill.
They said that the land was given to them by their fore father's and that they have lived there since Kenya received independence and became the Republic of Kenya.
"Our ancestors gave us the land in the past. Everyone knew the size of the land he had been given. Recently the county government has said it wants to establish a forest here. We will not accept it," Charles Onkundi, a local said.
"When Ongwae said the forest cannot be destroyed at his home place, he now wants to bring monkeys at this place to destroy our crops and take the sugarcane factory at his home place. This is not right," another local, Helen Moraa said.
"We have been living in this hill since independence, why should they want to evict us now? We will never accept this," added another resident who only identified himself as Nashon.
The establishment of the forest in the area has proven to be chaotic in as much as the county government is pushing for the same.
Some also claimed that there was no successful public participation over the same.
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