The Kenya Forest Service board has asked the EACC for thorough investigations amid intensified efforts to protect forests.
Board chairman Peter Kinyua and other members met for at least five hours on Wednesday.
After the meeting, Kinyua told the press that they had made a unanimous decision for the commission and other agencies to conduct thorough probes.
"The happenings at the service need thorough scrutiny," he said, noting
the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission will ensure proper conclusions.
KFS officers found to have committed offences have either been dismissed or suspended over the last three years.
So far, at least 26
officers have either gone on compulsory leave or been interdicted by the board.
The board has also made several staff changes both in the field and headquarters as it attempts to curb wanton destruction of forests.
Among those affected was Chief Conservator of Forests Emilio Mugo and heads of
conservation in Eastern and Central.
A section of lawmakers have demanded Emilio's reinstatement and raised concerns about operations and the language adopted by officials led by the new Environment CS Keriako Tobiko.
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While
calling for support and
noting that the board is worried by the destruction of forests, Kinyua said the actions they have taken have been
based on the information they received
He said the board was also informed by internal audits and information from the ground.
"The extent to which we can exhaustively delve into the issues is limited by the information availed to us by management," he noted.
Kinyua listed some of the issues of concern to the board as abuse of plantation harvesting procedures that has led to massive revenue loss to the government and KFS.
Issues raised by a task force on forest destruction include corruption, tribalism and collusion with loggers and saw millers.
"SEVERE ABUSE" OF PELIS SCHEME
The board's
term will expire at the end of March.
Surprisingly, the team said it was not aware of a task force report written in 2015.
The report flagged issues that would have been beneficial to the board, Kinyua told reporters, flanked by other board members, at his Karura office.
The chairman further noted that problems cited in the document have been helpful to the KFS and the forest sector in general.
The Plantations Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (Pelis), that was intended to benefit subsistence farmers adjacent to forests, had also been interfered with.
"The board has unearthed severe abuse of the Pelis scheme where an individual entity has been allocated 100ha in Ontulili Forest purportedly under this scheme," Kinyua said.
He noted that communities are only required to pay Sh250 per half an acre per year for a period of three years.
During this time, trees would have taken over.
Kinyua said the move is one way of enhancing food security and increasing the incomes of those living near forests.
The board has not been aware of events in regions such as Mt Kenya and Kinyua said there had been unprocedural allocation of forest land.
He said the board and communities will undertake tree planting in the affected area on Saturday.
During the commemoration of International Day of Forests this year, more than 102,000 trees seedlings were planted.
Kinyua said 10,000 were planted in Karura and 2,000 in each of the 47 counties.
This is part of the robust programme the board has put in place to fast-track realisation of the 10 per cent national tree cover by 2022 and 15 per cent by 2030.
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