Ogiek accuse civil servants and police of destroying Mau forest

What you need to know:

  • Community leaders now want forestry officials across the country vetted.

The Ogiek community has sounded the alarm over destruction of Mau forest, implicating senior civil servants, police and forestry officers in illegal logging activities.

The community, which initially lived in the Mau, says efforts to save the vital water tower are being undermined by officers tasked with taking care of it.

In a statement to the Business Daily, Ogiek Council of Elders chairman Joseph Towett implicated senior Kenya Forest Service officials and prominent people among them MPs, governors, principal secretaries and Cabinet secretaries in illegal logging and charcoal burning in the expansive forest. Marioshoni, Kiptunga, Logoman, Barket, Makutano, Soget and Kerisoi forests are among the most affected.

“We need a moratorium on logging to save the forest. Deep rooted corruption among organs mandated to safeguard against illegal encroachment on the forest is the cause of the wanton destruction,” said Mr Towett.

The claims come barely a fortnight after KFS officers staged an impromptu crackdown in Nyakweri forest in Trans Mara sub-county and destroyed 1,500 sacks of charcoal worth Sh900,000.

WEED OUT CORRUPTION

The Ogiek have demanded that KFS officers guarding forests across the country be vetted to weed out corruption. Their claims follow studies that show an unfolding environmental disaster in the destruction of forests.

The livelihoods of millions of Kenyans who depend on the forest are now threatened as rainfall patterns begin to change, with rivers originating from the expansive forests starting to recede.

Recent reports indicate that the water flow in the Mara River, for instance, has reduced considerably in 10 years.

Cosmas Ikiugu, the head of Mau Conservancy, admitted corruption among KFS officials but said efforts were being made to protect the Mau complex which stretches across Nakuru, Kericho, Baringo, Narok and Bomet counties.

“I admit there could be a few bad elements but we will deal with them as we get information from our surveillance team. We are committed to ensuring that the Mau complex is conserved,” said Mr Ikiugu.

Rainfall continues to dwindle in the region, devastating agriculture, Kenya’s economic mainstay. Narok County, which has 64,000 hectares under wheat cultivation, is the most affected.

The Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, which are famous for wildebeest migration that attracts millions of tourists each year, are likely to be affected by the diverse climate changes.

Already, effects of the destruction are being felt with wildlife around the Maasai Mara reserve invading human settlements in search of water and pasture due to drought.

The Maasai Mau Forest is part of the Mau forest complex.

Mau forest covers 400,000 hectares and is the biggest in East Africa.