Illegal Deforestation Racing Through Kenya

[hatrack]

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"Three years ago, the Kanu Government imposed a ban on logging. But last week, giant power saws were still roaring out there as the wanton destruction of forests continued unabated. In the North Rift region illegal harvesting of trees was going on in Kaptagat and Kipkabus forests in Keiyo District, Ainabkoi and Kapseret in Uasin Gishu, Kapkoi, Kipkurere and Kapkole in North and South Nandi, and Embobut and Kapyego forests in Marakwet district.

In the Mount Kenya region squatters — taking advantage of the absence of the sacked forest officers — are said to be inching back. In the North Rift, despite a Government ban on logging three years ago, the destruction of forests has been going on unabated. Investigations reveal that the harvesting of trees in public forests in the region by sawmillers, in collusion with forestry officials, even intensified during this period.

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The mushrooming of illegal sawmills in the region led to the escalation of forest destruction which the previous Government ironically intended to curb when it effected the ban. But even with a regime change, the destruction appeared to continue last week in a clearly sophisticated manner. Working in cahoots with crooked forestry officials, the operators are being allowed to harvest logs in the forests under the pretext that they are collecting fallen trees and branches for firewood.

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Lagat recently led the East African Standard on a tour of the expansive Ainabkoi forest, which revealed the secret but massive destruction of the forest. At one of the sawmills, allegedly owned by a female relative of an assistant minister in the current Government, records of earnings made by the sawmiller were shocking. The records, left behind by employees at the sawmill who fled when the MP showed up, showed that the sawmill harvests a total of 8,000 tonnes of logs monthly, which net a total Sh50 million from sales."

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http://www.eastandard.net/issue/issue01120307.htm