Kajiado county govt set to regulate charcoal trade, as Nkedianye blames agencies for unabated deforestation

Kajiado County Governor David Nkedianye has blamed corrupt law enforcement agencies for the rapid deforestation in the county, saying they have failed to contain the charcoal trade.

Speaking yesterday at the Kajiado KCB Grounds during Mashujaa Day celebrations, the governor said that although his government is under pressure to regulate the trade, law enforcement officers are compromised and allow illegal logging to continue.

“I blame the current officers, starting from the forest officers who issue licenses, to police who man roadblocks and allow unlicensed motorcycle operators and vehicles carrying the charcoal to pass through their stations for a fee,” Mr Nkedianye said.

The governor was responding to pleas by some leaders to act to contain the charcoal trade over fears that it would turn the county into a desert.

Mr Nkedianye added that legislation alone cannot alleviate the problem and urged Kajiado residents to be personally responsible enough when cutting down trees as they stand to lose if the county turns into a desert.

“We sponsored a motion on charcoal trade control and it is now before the Kajiado County Assembly and it's now in its second reading, but even if we produce the document on time it would be futile if we do not realise that the trees we are cutting down affect our environment adversely and we will all lose,” Nkedianye said.

POLICE HANDS 'TIED'

Mr Nkedianye called for speedy adoption of the Charcoal Trade Control Act by the assembly.

The call to regulate the charcoal trade was seconded by assistant County Commissioner Charles Wambugu, who expressed concern that a law does not exist that gives police officers guidelines on how to deal with illegal loggers.

“We do not have a legal document to refer to when enforcing laws on the control of charcoal trade and it gives us a difficult time even if we arrest illegal traders in the charcoal sale,” Mr Wambugu said.

He said the hands of police officers are tied and called for speedy legislation. He claimed that if the trade continues, the county would turn into a desert within 10 years.

Residents in areas such as Bisil, Kajiado, Maili Tisa and Namanga depend heavily on the charcoal trade as a source of livelihood despite its great environmental cost.

Most of the charcoal is consumed in Nairobi.

Kajiado County Commissioner Harsama Kello promised to act on illegal logging.