- They said a very large number of indigenous trees will be felled by bulldozers to pave the way for the proposed upgrade.
- Twenty-eight kilometres of the proposed road in the protected areas is a bamboo vegetation zone.
Conservation NGOs have unpacked the reasons they vehemently oppose the state’s bid to upgrade a controversial road cutting through the fragile Aberdares ecosystem.
In a blow-by-blow breakdown, the organisations said the negative impacts of the project on the fragile ecosystem outweigh the positive ones by far.
For instance, they said a very large number of indigenous trees will be felled by bulldozers to pave the way for the proposed upgrade.
In fact, an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment report shows that around 104 hectares (256.9892 acres) of vegetation are lying in areas that will potentially be cleared.
Out of this, 75 hectares (185.32875 acres) of bamboo, 14 hectares of forest (34.5947 acres) and 14 hectares (34.5947 acres) of moorland will potentially be destroyed.
Twenty-eight kilometres of the proposed road in the protected areas is a bamboo vegetation zone.
The total length of the proposed road of forest (indigenous and exotic) is 5km and another 5km of the road in the moorland.
“The road will cross wilderness areas with high numbers of diverse wildlife species. The higher traffic usage of the proposed upgraded road will lead to frequent collisions with wildlife, impacting on threatened and endemic species, and increasing road accidents,” they said in a terse objection letter in our possession.
Among the conservation organisations opposing the project include Rhino Ark Charitable Trust; Africa Wildlife Foundation and East Africa Wildlife Society.
The Conservation Alliance of Kenya has also joined those opposed citing “possible serious environmental impacts to the Aberdare ecosystem.”
CAK CEO Steve Itela said they are preparing a comprehensive objection report that is set to be shared with Nema.
CAK is an umbrella organisation of more than 50 NGOs advancing the preservation, protection and management of wildlife and its habitats.
Nature lovers in the latest attempt to salvage the ecosystem say the Aberdare National Park and its moorlands host a large population of elephants, a globally endangered species.
They say a 2017 report ‘Elephant Survey, Aberdare Conservation Area’ by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Rhino Ark with support from the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forest Service showed that the ecosystem hosts a number of elephants.
In fact, the estimated elephant population in the Aberdare ecosystem is 3,568, with a medium to high concentration of elephants in the moorlands that will be bisected by the proposed upgraded road.
This population represent nearly 10 per cent of the total elephant population in Kenya.
The NGOs are worried that the proposed project will cut through the Aberdare Ecosystem into two, leading to further fragmentation of the forest and the moorlands.
Worryingly, the Aberdare Ecosystem Management Plan 2010-2020 has since expired.
The Kenya National Highways Authority is proposing to upgrade the Ihithe – Aberdare Forest – Aberdare National Park - Ndunyu Njeru Road, as Lot 4 of the Mau Mau Road Project.
KeNHA proposes to upgrade the road from Earth to an all-weather road.
It has also emerged that the upgrade will cost taxpayers at least Sh8 billion.
The conservation NGOs now join a long list of those opposed to the project.
Government agencies such as the Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service and the National Environment Management Authority opposed the project.
This compelled KeNHA in September last year to suspend the project before seeking the necessary approvals which are yet to be obtained thus far.
On April 20, Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen, Environment CS Soipan Tuya and Tourism’s Peninah Malonza appeared before a Joint Senate Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources, and Roads, Transportation and Housing to shed light on the stalled project.
During the meeting, it was agreed that the concerns raised about the project will be addressed.
On October 27, 2009, Nema said it had reviewed the environmental impact assessment report for the project after stakeholders raised issues.
Among the issues pointed out by Nema included the fact that the project had failed to provide alternative routes to mitigate the identified adverse impacts on the natural forest.
“The proposed project will have massive impacts on the natural forests during construction. It is possible that some endangered tree species may be affected,” Nema said in a letter dated October 27, 2009.
The letter referenced NEMA/EIA/5/2/421 from Nema was signed by M M Langwen and shared with Roads PS.
The letter warned that the negative impact of the project will be felt far and wide.
It said the Aberdare forest was one of five water towers providing water to Nairobi and also feeds Lake Naivasha, the backbone of horticulture.
“The proposed mitigation measures are inadequate in terms of addressing the anticipated negative impacts,” the letter said.
“I wish to advise that the authority is of the view that the proposed project will not enhance sustainable development and sound environmental management. You are advised to re-design your plans or explore an alternative site.”
Nema’s opposition to the project has given conservation NGOs new impetus.
They said the road will be destructive.
The NGOs say the road will cross, and impact significantly, the heartland of the mountain bongo antelope.
“This is a critically endangered species of which there are no more than 80 remaining in the wild globally. The largest group, comprising 40-50 individuals, resides in the Aberdare National Park precisely where the upgrading of the road will take place. It is worth noting that the gate through which the road will enter the park is called Kiandongoro, which means bongo in Kikuyu,” they say.
The NGOs say the moorlands crossed by the proposed road comprise of bogs, wetlands and peatlands.
These are critically important water catchment areas and are the water sources of the rivers flowing from the Aberdares, including the Athi River and the Ewaso Nyiro River.
The NGOs say the rivers are the lifeline for millions of Kenyan households living downstream, as well as for the pastoralist communities living in the wider Samburu plains.
Further, the NGOs say, the proposed road will also impact the Aberdare Forest, which together with the moorlands in the Park is the water catchment of the Ndakaini and Sasumua dams.
These two dams provided the lion’s share of the water used in Nairobi City.
The NGOs say there is no evidence of socio-economic benefit to building a road over the Aberdare Mountain through the Aberdare National Park and the Forest Reserve.
They are basing their argument on a detailed study conducted in 2020 by the universities of Nairobi, Oxford and Amsterdam entitled on “Evaluating the socio-economic potential of road development projects around the Aberdare range.”
The study established that the proposed road upgrading will bring almost no socioeconomic benefits.
According to the NGOs, the proposed upgrading will not reduce travel time to markets, as vehicles will have to climb on steep gradients to an altitude of 3,200 metres to reach the moorlands and descent on steep gradients on the other side of the park.
“Such steep climbs and descents are not appropriate for trucks to carry goods across. On those steep gradients, trucks will move very slowly, much slower than on the existing roads around the Aberdare Mountains.”
The NGOs say the roads on either side of the Aberdare National Park will be winding and steep. “They are likely to cause traffic jams, especially if used by freight. Furthermore, in the moorlands inside the Park, the maximum speed will be 40kph to mitigate the impacts on wildlife.”
The opposition by NGOs is now putting the government in a tight corner owing to the commitments it has made locally and internationally.
These include the sustainable development goals, Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN framework on climate change, Ramsar Conventions on wetlands, and the UN Decade on ecosystem restoration among others.