Charcoal burning blamed for poor forest cover in Kitui

Widespread charcoal burning in Kitui has been cited as the biggest impediment to environmental conservation in the county.

The Kitui ecosystem conservator Joyce Nthuku on Saturday said illegal charcoal burning had eroded gains made in boosting the region's forest cover to 10 per cent.

“We target to attain the 10 per cent forest cover in Kitui county by next year. Kitui people should however stop charcoal burning that has been their source of income and seek alternative livelihoods,” Nthuku said.

She spoke during the commemoration of the World Environment Day at Kakumuti Primary Scool in Kitui West subcounty.

Nthuku is the head of Kenya Forest Service in Kitui county.

In 2018, Governor Charity Ngilu imposed a ban on charcoal burning and trade in Kitui and also banned commercial sand harvesting in a bid to conserve the environment.

But Nthuku said the trade still remains. She said Kitui was worse off in terms of forest cover.

“Kitui county being one of the arid and semi-arid zones has had its environment badly degraded considering that the forest cover is now below seven per cent. However, we are making every effort to ensure that we attain the 10 per cent cover by 2022,” Nthuku said.

Some 500 tree seedlings were planted at the school.

Nthuku said Kitui residents should take up the responsibility of restoring the environment by planting and nurturing trees.

NGO We the Trees chief executive Francis Kivisu said continued destruction of forests would make the earth uninhabitable for future generations.

He said the human race will obviously become extinct without trees.

“It is for that reason that my organisation has targeted to plant one million trees by the year 2023. So far we have planted over 55,000 trees. It is in an effort to make future generations have a place to live in,” Kavisu said.

He said wanton felling and destruction of trees has had an adverse effect on the Kitui ecosystem and that it was time for futuristic leaders and people of goodwill to advocate afforestation efforts to restore the depleted environment.