- The government is keen to increase the forest cover from the current 7.2 per cent to 10 per cent by 2022.
- Kasipul MP Charles Were had presented a petition to Parliament in regard to mapping, demarcation and degazzettement of land within Kodera Forest.
Image: FILE
Environment CS Keriako Tobiko has rejected calls by local leaders to allow squatters settle on part of Kodera Forest land.
Kasipul MP Charles Were had presented a petition to Parliament in regard to mapping, demarcation and degazettement of land within Kodera Forest for settlement of squatters in God Agulu and Lidha.
But Tobiko said on Monday that the move was untenable as it was against the national efforts to increase forest cover from the current 7.2 per cent to 10 per cent by 2022.
The CS appeared before the parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in a virtual meeting to deliberate on petitions raised by MPs concerning degazettement of forest land.
In the case of Kodera, the community had petitioned that in 1950, an outbreak of a skin disease and river blindness caused by unknown insects in the forest affected many people living along Awach River.
The then South Nyanza County Council engaged residents and agreed that they vacate the land, allow the trees along River Awach be cut down and the region be sprayed with insecticides to kill the deadly insects.
However, in 1956 the council cut down indigenous trees and planted exotic trees believed to contain poison against the deadly insects.
The community says in breach of the agreement of 1950, the county council planted trees well beyond the area vacated for forest cover and stretched into land that had been reserved for settlement.
Tobiko said “the prayers to degazette 10,100 acres of land from Kodera Forest is untenable as this negates the national efforts, dating back to the 1950s, of setting aside and maintaining Kodera Forest reserve for forestry purposes.”
Another petition by Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny was also rejected by the ministry.
The MP had requested Parliament to degazette Kapolet land where the Sengwer community had requested to be allowed to live.
The petitioners claim that the Sengwer community received 1,846.57 acres in 1993 that were surveyed in preparation for issuance of title deeds, which is yet to be completed.
The community claims a balance of 1,153.43 acres, which was to be excised from the natural forest under Kapolet Forest Station, to attain the total of 3,000 acres allocated by the government.
But Tobiko dismissed claims that there was an agreement to allocate the Sengwer community the balance of 1,153.43 acres.
He further informed the committee that Kapolet Forest was gazetted in 1964 and falls under the national government jurisdiction of Kenya Forest Service.
Edited by Henry Makori