President William Ruto in Narok county on August 26, 2026./PCS

President William Ruto has declared the controversial Mau Forest evictions chapter closed after 13,000 affected families received Sh200,000 each as compensation.

The payout, amounting to Sh2.6 billion, is part of the government’s efforts to resolve the plight of families displaced during the campaign to reclaim and protect the Mau Forest complex.

Ruto said the payments should bring an end to years of uncertainty among families who were evicted from the forest and struggled to rebuild their lives.

“Hii ndiyo awamu ya mwisho ya kufunga kabisa chapter ya mambo ya Mau. Wale watu elfu mia tatu waliotolewa msitu wapata pesa yao,” he announced.

He was speaking in Sogoo during the second day of his development tour of Narok County.

“Tumesema kila mtu atapata shilingi elfu mia mbili yake aende ajipange,” Ruto said.

Earlier, Ruto launched several development projects in Emurua Dikirr Constituency.

The compensation follows sustained pressure from community leaders and residents who had called on the government to address the plight of families left out of previous resettlement initiatives.

The latest beneficiaries were among thousands of evictees who did not benefit from an earlier programme targeting families living in camps.

The government had previously given Sh350,000 to families in camps to help them relocate and establish new homes away from the forest.

In March, Ruto announced that another group had been identified for assistance after leaders presented their case to him.

The President said the additional beneficiaries had been left out of the initial programme because they were not residing in the camps when the earlier compensation exercise was undertaken.

The latest intervention is expected to ease the financial burden on the affected households and allow them to invest in new homes and livelihoods.

It also marks a significant development in a dispute that has remained politically and socially sensitive for years.

The Mau Forest complex is a critical water tower whose forests support major rivers and provide water for agriculture, domestic use and industrial activities across the country.

The previous administration undertook operations to remove people who settled or acquired land in the protected forest, citing the need to restore the ecosystem.

But the evictions have also attracted criticism over the impact on families, some of whom have claimed historical occupation or ownership of the land.

Human rights organisations have previously raised concerns about the manner in which some evictions were carried out.

Human Rights Watch reported that thousands of people were evicted from parts of the Mau during operations in 2018 and 2019, with some families ending up in makeshift camps.

The government has maintained that conservation of the Mau is in the national interest and that the forest must be protected from further destruction.

Ruto’s latest announcement therefore shifts the focus from compensation to conservation, with the government expected to intensify efforts to restore and protect the water tower.

The President’s move is also likely to ease pressure from communities and leaders who have for years demanded compensation for families affected by the evictions.

For the beneficiaries, the Sh200,000 payment offers an opportunity to restart their lives after years of displacement.

For the government, closing the compensation programme allows it to draw a line under one of Kenya’s most contentious conservation disputes while focusing on the long-term protection of the Mau ecosystem.