• A 90-day ban was initially imposed on February 24 last year and later extended to November 24.
• On November 24, the government extended the ban on logging again for a year to facilitate reforms in forestry.
Image: COURTESY
The government has intensified a crackdown on illegal logging in Mbooni Forest.
Chief conservator of forests Julius Kamau and the Kenya Forest Service chairman Peter Kinyua last week toured the forest following reports of unlawful harvesting of trees. The officials verified that indeed unlawful activities were taking place.
Loggers have been cutting have been cutting down trees in spite of a moratorium being in place. A 90-day ban was initially imposed on February 24 last year and later extended to November 24.
Thereafter, the government again extended the ban for a year so as to rehabilitate forests in Kenya. Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko said more time is required for the full implementation of new measures to protect the forests.
Kenya's forest cover stands at 7.2 per cent and the government wants to increase it to 10 per cent by 2022.
Chief conservator Kamau held discussions with the subcounty security committee to find ways of curbing a recurrence of illegal felling of trees.
While speaking to the workers at Makueni station, Kamau reiterated that officers found culpable will be held responsible. He said they will be disciplined.
He announced the deployment of a rapid response unit to the area to tackle illegal logging in Mbooni Forest.
A team of KFS surveyors is already on the ground to ascertain whether or not there is encroachment into the forest reserve.
On the role of Communities in forest conservation, Kamau said there is no Community Forest Association as required by the Forest Conservation and Management Act of 2016.
He directed the forest officer in charge to start the process of establishing a CFA. This will enable participatory forest management between Kenya Forest Service and the association for an opportunity for the community to be engaged in nature based enterprises such as beekeeping.
Kamau commended the people of Mbooni for being great ambassadors of conservation and for providing information which has assisted the KFS to address arising issues.
KFS commandant in charge of enforcement and compliance Alex Lomarkoko on July 11 confirmed there is illegal logging going on.
Lomarkoko, who was accompanied by Makueni county ecosystem conservator Joseph Wakiaga and a team of forest rangers, said they had discovered marked trees that were about to be felled.
A section of sawmillers had denied that there has been illegal logging in the forest and called on the government to investigate. They said the matter had been propagated in the social media to portray them as criminals.
Lomarkoko said KFS has no plans of felling trees in the forest because of the ban on logging.
“I confirmed during my tour of the forest that indeed trees have been felled illegally. We are working with other security agencies to ensure the criminals are arrested and prosecuted,” Lomarkoko said.
He said nobody is allowed to cut, fell, harvest remove or transport forest products from public and community forests until the ban is lifted.
He, however,said the illegality was not alarming as was portrayed in the media.
A sport check by the Star in most of the forests in Mbooni indicated that loggers permitted to harvest trees in their farms extend the harvest in public forests making it tricky for rangers to spot them.
Members of the community neighbouring the forest said the trees are felled at night with axes and then transported to private farms where they are cut into timber.
Lomarkoko said those harvesting trees from their farms should get permits from the county government. He said an evaluation will be done by officers with technical background from forestry and agriculture to ensure openness in the process.
(Edited by P. Wanambisi)