Nairobi, Kenya, Aug - Friends of Oloolua Forest (FoOF) and Public Interest Litigation and Advocacy for the Environment (PILAE) have partnered to address a case of land grabbing that has put 66 acres of the gazetted and protected Oloolua Forest at risk, sparking public outcry.

According to the organizations, the encroachers have subdivided and allocated the parcel to 41 individuals and companies, prompting environmental groups to take urgent action to protect the forest.

A total of five cases have been filed at the Environment and Land Court in Nairobi, challenging the legitimacy of these 41 land titles.

The groups are seeking to have the land returned to its rightful status as a protected public forest.

Oloolua Forest is a gazetted public forest; hence, it is protected from private sale.

The forest serves as an essential habitat for wildlife and provides a vital green space for the community.

Kenya has been witnessing a surge in cases of public land grabbing. In October last year, President William Ruto stressed that the government will not tolerate impunity with regard to public land.

"What we must get rid of in the whole of this is impunity. We cannot allow impunity in Kenya. We all must play by the rules, we are all equal before the law and so the people who are willing to negotiate should do so and have a settlement," he stated.

Likewise, he had in January ordered the eviction of grabbers of government land in Kitale meant for the construction of a city.

Yesterday, Environment and Sanitation CS nominee Aden Duale vowed to revoke title deeds of high-level state officers, including MPs who have been linked to the 66-acre Oloolua forest invasion that has caused an outcry in Kajiado County.