President William Ruto has handed former Kenya Forest Service chief conservator Emilio Mugo a new lease of life after appointing him the new National Environment Management Authority board chairman.
Ruto in gazette notice No.2861 dated March 6, 2023, appointed Mugo who was hounded out of KFS helm in 2018.
Mugo will now head the Nema board for a period of three years with effect from March 10, 2023.
The appointment of Eric Mungai as the board chair through a gazette notice No. 8002 of 2022 stands revoked.
A source familiar with the happenings at the authority said it was a matter of time before Mungai, a cousin of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, was kicked out.
Mungai had been at the helm of the board for less than seven months and had two-and-half years to serve before he was kicked out unceremoniously.
Mugo was bundled out of KFS after a report on illegal forest activities was unearthed by a task force that had been formed by the state.
KFS manages 6.4 million acres of forests and helps counties manage another 4.2 million acres.
In 2018, a task force that had been formed to enquire into illegal forest activities showed the harvesting of trees in plantation areas was riddled with corrupt practices.
The task force said illegal logging of indigenous trees was a major threat to forests and was rampant in key forest areas.
Mugo, however, successfully cleared his name after moving to court.
Cedar, according to the task force report, was the most targeted species.
The report had recommended immediate investigations and possible prosecution of all criminal-related findings of the task force touching on former board members and KFS staff.
The task force was formed to help the country restore its depleted forest cover after a public outcry.
The task force unearthed serious malpractices in the sector and made recommendations.
