Copyright 2001 The Nation (Nairobi)
October 28, 2001
By Muniu Riunge and Mburu Mwangi

As outrage greeted the Government's decision to finally hive off huge chunks of forest land for private use, the Sunday Nation has learnt that more forests were being targeted.

Documents made available to the Sunday Nation indicate that another 15,032 hectares (37,500 acres) in 10 forests around the country will be lost.

The document is signed by the acting Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr J.M. Mutie, and gives various reasons for the planned excision.

These range from expansion of schools to settlement of tribal clash victims.

At least two of the forests will lose more than 10,000 acres.

The forests targeted but whose notice of delineation is yet to be gazetted are: Ol Arabel/Kipipiri (6,273 ha or 16,000 acres); Kitale in Trans Nzoia (1,609 or 4,022 acres); Aberdare/Kipipiri in Nyandarua District (4,340 ha or 11,000 acres); Kikuyu Escarpment in Kiambu District (1,823 ha or 4,600 acres); Oloitokitok in Kajiado District (44 ha or 110 acres); Bahati forest, Nakuru (85 ha or 212 acres).

The others are Upper Imenti in Meru (40.47 ha or 101 acres); Taressia in Nandi District (13 ha or 32 acres) and Sekhendu in Trans Nzoia (804 ha or 2,010 acres).

Yesterday, various leaders expressed disgust at the Government plan to excise more than 170,000 acres of forests as gazetted by Environment Minister Noah Katana Ngala last week. They called on the public to resist the "grabbing" of the national heritage.

Among those who protested the Government move were Greenbelt Movement Co-ordinator, Prof Wangari Maathai, Democratic Party Secretary-General Joseph Munyao, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Kabete MP Paul Muite and lawyer Gibson Kamau Kuria.

Prof Maathai said the Government had proved that it had no respect for the law as a case challenging the excision was still pending in court. She called on the church to pray for the protection of the forests and water sources.

"We are dealing with crooks who are so greedy and corrupt that you have to bite them like you would a dog to to free a piece of meat," said Prof Maathai.

Mr Munyao, the DP shadow minister for environment, said the parliamentary committee summoned the then Minister for Environment, Mr Francis Nyenze, who had signed the excision notice, and the Minister for Lands, Mr Joseph Nyagah. The two assured the committee the forests would not be annexed until a session paper was tabled in Parliament for discussion.

He said the committee had planned to overfly the targeted forests to conduct an aerial survey, but the Government postponed it "as the weather was bad". They then set a date for mid-November.

Mr Muite asked Kenyans to shed their docility and take decisive action to save the forests.

"They should organise themselves and uproot beacons and physically eject any surveyors and allotees, he said,

Mr Kuria said he had sent Minister Ngala a notice to sue the Government over the excision of 35,301 hectares from the Eastern Mau Forest. Error: Unable to read footer file.