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Britain ready to engage Maasai, says envoy

British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan during a Maasai Council of elders consultative meeting in Narok. [George Sayagie, Standard]

He hailed the community for being great guardians of nature, landscape and natural resources and promised to continue helping them in the same role and make sure they benefit from tourism, livelihoods and opportunities that come along with conserving nature. "We will look particularly on issues like the Maasai Mau forest where Her Majesty the late Queen and the King had adopted the commonwealth canopy and see what we can do as we continue this relationship," he added.

Some of the atrocities the Maasai still claim the UK government has not addressed include the 1904 forceful eviction of the defeated Maasai from their fertile grazing land of the Rift Valley that saw them to the southern reserves in Narok.

It was agreed that the Maasai would vacate the entire Rift Valley for the government to use it for European settlement. In return, the Maasai would migrate to two new settlements.

Mzee Kelena ole Nchoe, the council chairman said their concerns are not limited to the forceful eviction, loss of lives and livelihood, or separation of clans and families.

He said the injustices ranged from forceful Samburu eviction from Laikipia African Reserve in 1920 to the lower lands, deportation and disappearance of the Samburu leaders in 1934 and killing of those who resisted eviction.

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"The Kedong massacre of 1895 forced the removal of the Samburu from Laikipia Africa reserve to the lower land which denies them the best grazing land," he said.

Governor Ntutu said the matter is one of the agendas why the Maa delegation from Kajiado, Samburu, and Narok counties held a consultative meeting.