Kitui police linked to illegal charcoal trade

Charcoal trade is still practiced in parts of Kitui despite Governor Charity Ngilu's ban on charcoal burning for commercial purposes and transportation last year in February. 

Unconfirmed reports indicate that huge kickbacks are offered to some security officers to allow lorries to transport hundreds of bags of charcoal from some parts of Kitui. 

The illegal trade attracts up to Sh50,000 fine or six months imprisonment in Kitui law courts and the bags of charcoal forfeited to the county government. 

A Mumoni sub county resident told the Star that charcoal traders, who mostly come from counties outside Kitui, buy a single sack of charcoal at Sh300 from charcoal burners who have pitched camp in most forests of Mwingi North sub county. 

The same sack attracts up to Sh1,200 in ready markets such as Nairobi, making the sellers a clean profit of Sh900 per sack. 

A month ago, a lorry which was believed to be carrying charcoal, overturned at Ikongo- Irira of Mumoni sub county. 

Witness Peter Muthui said the lorry was not new in the area and occasionally ferried charcoal from different parts of Mumoni. 

After the lorry was turned with the help of residents, the driver allegedly told them he wanted to test whether it could move but drove off towards Embu county.

“We urge our governor to take immediate action and nab all those involved in the illegal transportation of charcoal in Mwingi North and ensure those involved are brought to book,” Muthui said.

Through a phone conversation, Mumoni sub county police commander Peter Oduor said they had not verified whether the lorry was indeed ferrying sacks of charcoal. He said he had sent officers to the scene. 

Area MCA Johnson Kanandu, who highly condemned the illegitimate deal, said charcoal is bought from Tharaka and Tseikuru areas and use Mumoni route to go Embu county and beyond. 

Mumoni is just being used as a conduit to transport the commodity to other parts of the country because the traders cannot use any other route for fear of being intercepted, Kanandu said.

“The traders use Irira-Ishiara route in Embu with the help of some police officers from Katse police station who have been compromised,” he said.

The ward rep also named an environment official, whom he only identified as Peter, as working together with some officers and the charcoal dealers to paralyze the ban. 

“The police officers and environment officers condoning the trade that takes place at wee hours of the night are on notice,” Kanandu said.  

Three weeks ago, a lorry ferrying charcoal from Nuu was intercepted by Engamba village administrator Boniface Kitemi.

Kitemi said the lorry was carrying not less than at least 100 sacks of charcoal from Engamba area of Nuu, Mwingi Central sub county, to an unknown destination. The administrator handed over the matter to Nuu police station for further investigation.

Surprisingly, the lorry was later released by an unknown officer at the station, Environment chief officer Clement Munyithya told the Star. He had toured the station in pursuit of the case.

“I visited Nuu police station to ascertain the status of the lorry and confirmed that the lorry was not booked in the OB,” he said. 

Munyithya said the government’s efforts to actualize the ban were being frustrated by some security officers whose actions he said were geared by personal gains.  

“It is very sad that security officers are working together with charcoal traders who are hindering efforts made by county government to bring to an end charcoal business,” the chief officer told the Star at Nuu police station.

He accused police of giving the illegal traders a gate pass to ferry the commodity against the county's will. 

“I’m calling upon the county commander to immediately intervene and ensure officers condoning the banned trade are brought to book as they deter achievements we have made in the fight against charcoal burning." 

He also urged the local community to be supportive by alerting relevant authorities once the traders are spotted. 

“Charcoal burning is a great threat to the ecosystem and derails the country's environmental conservation efforts," the official said. 

Ngilu's directive got a major boost from the national government after President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a ban on charcoal burning and logging for commercial timber production in all government forests. 

It was, however, not accepted by everyone- her Kiambu counterpart Ferdinand Waititu took her to court over the matter accusing her of inciting Kitui residents against residents of Kiambu. 

This followed the torching of a lorry after it was caught ferrying charcoal last year. A Toyota Probox was also seized.

Edited by R.Wamochie