• The community, who are largely the Maasai, said they were given short notice of less than 24 hours and only a few leaders and community members attended.
• During the meeting, they asked Kenha to re-route the road to pass through the edges of the forest.
The Loita Community is up in arms following a proposal by the Kenya National Highways Authority to construct a road traversing Naimina Enkiyio Forest in Narok county.
Kenha through letter by the regional director South Rift Region on June 22 circulated an invitation to stakeholders for a meeting on June 23 at the Entasekera assistant county commissioner's office grounds to discuss the proposed road.
The community, who are largely the Maasai, said they were given short notice of less than 24 hours and only a few leaders and community members attended. During the meeting, they asked Kenha to re-route the road to pass through the edges of the forest.
A memorandum for the alternative road was presented. However, KeNHA insisted they were ready to start construction and that by June 30, they would move to the site and bring in surveyors.
Irked by the decision, the community on June 30 opposed the construction of the road through a protest letter to Transport Cabinet Secretary, copied to other relevant government offices including Kenha and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
Following the objection, Kenha made a second visit to Entasekera on July 2 and asked the community for their alternative road.
The community proposed that the road starts as Entasekera trading centre, then moves to Entashata area-Ochorro Ngusur then to Tiamanangien-Loita Girls'and to Olpusare area. The road then proceeds to Mausa, Enchorro Naibor before connecting to Kajiado county through Shompole area.
They said this route would benefit more people as there are trading centres, schools and health facilities.
"Loita people request Kenha to listen and not to impose on us a road that will not have any economic value," the community said through the memorandum.
On July 16, Nema and Kenha visited Entasekera and issued questionnaires for the Environmental Impact Assessment report regarding the road through the forest.
The team also made a short trip to the forest up to Empurputia Primary School.
The community said the study came as an afterthought as Kenha had said they were ready to start construction yet there was no EIA report.
“The proponent of the Entasekira- Kamorora- Kajiado boundary road (Kenha) did not undertake an ESIA [Environmental and Social Impact Assessment] as required by law under EMCA Act 2015. The route is being treated by Kenha as an already existing road (which is not) to avoid the ESIA process in detriment of potential destruction of the ecosystem. Consequently, this will oversee destruction of numerous habitats harboring endemic and endangered fauna and flora exacerbating extinction,” the community said.
The Loita forest is also known to locals as “the forest where a little girl got lost”.
The 81,543 acre-forest is one of the few ungazetted pristine indigenous forests in Kenya.
It is found on the eastern part of Loita ward, in Narok county and lies between Enkututoto, Ngurman escarpment and Olorte hills overlooking the Tanzania border.
The forest provides water, dry season grazing, and habitat for over 250 plants valued by locals for firewood, construction materials, medicine, fruits, honey, and ceremonial rituals.
The forest is a critical water catchment area, with majority of its rivers draining into river Ewaso Ngiro, while others terminate into Lake Natron in Tanzania.
Its water sustains communities downstream and supports flamingo breeding in Lake Natron. The catchment also recharges the soda ash mines in Lake Magadi. Apart from being a critical tower, the forest has cultural and spiritual value.
"Crucial cultural ceremonies such as rites of passage and anointing of spiritual leaders of age groups are held in identified, marked and secluded sites within the forest," the community said.
Other ceremonies such as fertility blessing for women and new age groups blessings among others are held in the forest.
It is for these reasons that the Loita Maasai view Naimina Enkiyio forest as source of their lifeline.
The community said building an express highway through the forest will lead to more settlements, cutting of trees, more clearing of water sources and other wetlands, and will completely destroy the water system, livelihoods, biodiversity, in Loita, Kenya and Tanzania.
"It happened in Mau Forest in the same county and so the Loita people cannot be made to assume that it will not happen in Loita Forest," they said.
Nema in a letter dated August 4 to Kenha said there was no consultation.
“Nema officers in conjunction with other lead agencies visited the proposed road on 16th and 23rd July 2020 and noted that no consultation or public participation has been done on the same. In addition, it was noted that the proposed road has not acquired necessary approvals required prior to commencement,” Nema Narok county environment director Fanuel Mosago said.
Mosago’s letter is copied to director of compliance and enforcement at the headquarters, county commissioner, Narok county secretary, regional coordinator, Kenya Water Towers Agency and KFS ecosystem conservator in Narok.
National Environment Complaints Committee has also written to KeNHa saying it has received complaints.
Committee Secretary John Chumo in a letter dated July 16 urged KeNHa to furnish the committee with ESIA studies for the proposed road, ecological studies for the forest, evidence of public participation and justification for not considering the alternative road given by the community.
NECC’s letter was copied to Transport PS, Director General Nema, County Secretary Narok and the County Commissioner.
Edited by EKibii