• EAWS says allowing the hiving off would set a bad precedent for other counties, who are likely to demand more forestland.
• The society says that proof of public participation is missing and photos do not qualify for participation.
Image: /COURTESY
Plans to hive off part of the Aberdare Forest to expand Ndaragwa township have been met with resistance by conservationists.
The East African Wildlife Society (EAWS) said the plan would set a bad precedent for other counties, who are likely to demand more forest land.
Among the projects set to be implemented on the 300-acre forest land is a dairy market and animal feed manufacturing hub.
Nyandarua county has said it presented a request to the Kenya Forest Service, in a proposal sponsored by Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni.
On June 30, the society brought together stakeholders in the forest sector through the Kenya Forests Working Group for a virtual meeting.
The lobby said no specialists on plants and animals were involved in the team conducting the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, and so the findings on the impacts of the project on biodiversity cannot be depended upon.
“The proposed greening of all the streets, parking areas and other infrastructure of the town using indigenous tree species found in the Aberdare Forest (Ndaragwa Block), in order to attract birds and other wildlife, including monkeys back to the town, fails to take into account that monkeys have the potential to become a menace in the town.”
The society further said that proof of public participation, including signed participant lists that should be annexed to the report, is missing and photos do not qualify for participation.
Concerns about whether the participants were clearly informed of the impact of the decision have been raised.
“These reports inform how stakeholder participation is conducted and indicate whether the relevant lead agency, the Kenya Forest Service, was adequately consulted,” EAWS said.
"It is also not clear whether other relevant lead agencies, including the Kenya Water Towers Agency (KWTA), the Water Resources Authority (WRA) and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) were consulted."
EAWS said the ESIA report keeps referring to documents in the appendices, yet they are not attached to the report hence difficult for reviewers to verify or make proper references.
The society said considering the nature of the project, the level of authorising officers should rank from the Ecosystem Conservator upwards.
However, what appears in the report are the individual comments of a forest officer and a letter from the Director of Forests of the now-defunct Department of Forests of Nyandarua county.
Additionally, comments from the Forest Conservation Committee should have been sought to make recommendations to the KFS board.
The society also said the proponent of the expansion of Ndaragwa township has not explicitly covered the impacts of cutting down trees.
"For instance, as much as the proponent admits that variation of the boundary as proposed will significantly negatively affect all three rivers – Mbombo, Pesi and the seasonal stream – the report does not go to further explain the ripple effect of this impact, say, to downstream users like the communities in Samburu county who will undoubtedly suffer water supply shortages,” EAWS said.
EAWS said there is a lot of private land available yet this land is not clearly shown on the map. The map only shows forest blocks.
The society said it has been determined and confirmed from the Ndung’u Land report that the land intended for the expansion of the town was illegally acquired.
“Expansion of the township would cause a lot of pressure on the adjacent forest ecosystem and many resources including, but not limited to, fuel-wood and water. For instance, the expansion will mean more people coming to settle-in hence increased demand for fuel-wood and water.”
The society said the move to hive off the forest land is in contradiction to the government’s efforts, through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, to reclaim the Mau and Ngong Road forests.
“The stakeholders concluded that conversion of the forest to a township will have unrepairable damage to the environment and lives of the people in the long run. They consequently opposed the conversion and urged Nema not to approve the ESIA report,” the lobby said.
Edited by A.N