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| Turaco Hartlaubi |
Soon after the
formation of the grand coalition government in 2008, Kenyans were treated to a
series of environmental battles with the former Prime Minister Hon. Raila
Odinga set at stake to evict the Mau inhabitants. His move to have the
inhabitants kicked out of the forest was not seen as an environmental approach
to conserving one of the largest water towers in the Lake Victoria basin but as
a political move against the Rift Valley residents.
Although the Mau
occupants were finally evicted, there has been rumors of the evictees trying to
crawl back to this forest ecosystem. The new government, the digital team, and
which is still in its honeymoon seems not to be aware of what is going on in
Mau forest. Could it be possible that the Jubilee government is rewarding its
supporters by going silent on the ongoing logging activities in the forest?
Today, the Standard has
reported that 100 days down the line since the inception of the Digital
government, tree loggers have been carrying out their illegal activities in the
Mau Forest fearlessly. Those charged with the responsibility of taking care of
the environment, Kenya Forest Service (KFS) among others, are said to be
watching this happenings helplessly.
Dangers
In The Government’s Silence On The Mau Issue
Those with basic
environmental knowledge will concur with me that there are lots of things
harbored by the Mau Forest. First and foremost, the different tree species
found in this forest ecosystem. Among these tree species is Polyscias
kikuyuensis which
is not only endemic to Kenya but also dear to the wetland areas. Bird species
such as Hartlaub’s Turaco (Pictured above), one of the
beautiful birds only found within the East African countries, Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda are also endangered.
Water, one of the
scarce resources nowadays, is also part of what Mau encroachment is destroying.
It is worth noting that the Mau Forest serves as a water source for many rivers
draining into Lake Victoria, Lake Nakuru and Lake Natron. This therefore means
that aquatic and terrestrial life forms depending on these water bodies for
survival are at danger.
Necessary
Action
The Digital Government
should understand that environmental decisions they they make or fail to make
today will not only affect the current generation but also our future
generations. It is therefore necessary for the government to take proper action
against the Mau encroachers and restoration process embarked on. This will
greatly help in the conservation of indigenous tree species, bird and animals
as well as the Mau water tower. Hope the relevant authority gets to read this.
I rest my case.
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