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Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga yesterday revisited the Mau eviction that cost him dearly in the 2013 polls.

Raila who defended the restoration of the Mau Forest during the Grand Coalition government, yesterday said he does not regret his efforts to save the environment from destruction, adding that his efforts paid off.

He reiterated that the move to evict people from the forest was not his but a decision of the Cabinet after a Taskforce report was presented and even adopted by Parliament.

Enough rains

Speaking at various FM stations yesterday, Raila said that the conservation of the forest was orchestrated by those who later became his main opponents,  and started moving around the country saying that “I was responsible for the evictions of the people.’

Raila said he was happy that the efforts went a long way to saving the water catchment area for the benefit of residents and the country.

“We must protect our forests. We now have a difference in Mau, there is now enough rains and the rivers are flowing with water levels rising.”

Raila said that a Taskforce team reviewed the situation in the Mau, Mt Kenya, Aberdares, Cherangany and Mt Elgon water catchment areas, with a view to finding a solution on how to protect the water catchment areas in the country.

“It was decided that the catchments be protected so that we reduce desertification.

They had been invaded by squatters who were cutting trees destroying the natural habitat,” he explained.

He said both the Cabinet and Parliament passed the decision and what was left was for his office to implement.

“When it was being implemented, the fights began and my political enemies used it against me. I was the Prime Minister and I had to protect the then Environment minister.

That is why I insisted and said that if protecting Mau would make me ‘go sell mandazi in Kibra, so be it,” he said.

He said the taskforce toured Mau forest and spoke to people and reported the situation that Cabinet approved.

Fight him politically

In 2016, Raila had claimed that he lost the Rift Valley vote in the 2013 polls largely because of an argument that he engineered the eviction of settlers in the Mau Forest.

During a burial ceremony of Zipporah Lemein- wife of former Narok first post-independence senator; Philip Lemein, at Motonyi near Narok Town in Narok, Raila said his opponents used the controversial Mau Forest issue to fight him politically when he was the prime minister in the Grand Coalition government.