Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has ruled out logging in Mt Kenya region as a threat to forests.
In a statement on Saturday, Tobiko
discounted earlier reports that suspected illegal loggers are breaching the moratorium that was extended in May.
He noted that a multi-agency surveillance team has not established any serious illegal logging or destruction of the Mt Kenya Forest.
Tobiko instead raised the alarm on the exploitation of water resources
from Mt Kenya rivers, noting this adversely affects forest conservation efforts.
During an aerial and ground survey across the Mt Kenya region, the CS stumbled on tens of water intake points.
"it is clear that there’s massive exploitation of water resources
upstream. In Sagana river, there are about 75 intake points and on Thegu river, there are
45. This
is disproportionately high,” he said.
He undertook the survey with
Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Chairman Peter Kinyua and several other senior officers.
Tobiko
promised to liaise with his Water counterpart Simon Chelugui for
a study on rationalising the utlilistion of water resources from Mt Kenya Forest.
He, however, warned illegal loggers
against breaching the logging moratorium.
Suspected loggers have been sneaking into gazetted forests around Mt Kenya and sneaking out timber to saw millers in the vicinity.
Tobiko noted that the ban on logging is sill in force and added that
security surveillance by a multi-agency unit has been beefed up to nab culprits.
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At a stopover at the Kabaru Forest Station in Nyeri county, Tobiko warned that suspects undertaking illicit activities in gazetted forests will be dealt with mercilessly.
Media reports recently indicated that just months after the government banned logging to restore water levels, activities were still taking place at Kabaru Forest in Mt Kenya, the red cedar trees being the targets.
"Protecting our environment and forests is a shared responsibility that we shall relentlessly pursue to make our cities, among other urban and rural towns, environmental centres of excellence,” Tobiko said.
He added that
efforts to streamline the management of the local forestry sector will be heightened, with the appointment of a substantive KFS Board of Management.
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