Parliamentarians propose to amend Kenya’s forest law in order to make it easier for protected areas to be changed. This is a move activists fear could negatively affect wildlife and the environment of the east African country.
While conservationists fear that the change will open up precious forest land to developers, supporters of the amendment argue that it will protect people with legitimate claims to disputed lands from being evicted. The Forest Conservation and Management Amendment would reduce the power of Kenya’s Forest Service to veto proposed changes to boundary lines that could endanger rare species and water catchment areas. KFS did not respond when called for comment.
The debate centers on the forests around Nairobi, the developing Kenyan capital. They are currently being reviewed by a parliamentary committee. Christopher Muriithi (environmentalist) said, “If that bill is allowed…what will we have is the same thing we are seeing here.” He pointed to a cluster and tarmac road running through land that was once part of Oloolua Forest near Nairobi’s outskirts.
But the amendment’s advocates argue that changing law protects people who have already settled on disputed forests land. These may include families who have saved up to purchase a home in their own good faith. Although Nixon Korir, a Parliamentarian, has supported an amendment, he did not respond to requests to comment, but previously stated that the government must protect innocent home-owners.
According to Global Forest Watch, Kenya lost approximately half its forest cover between 1980-2000 and 11% over the next two decades. Muriithi stated that Oloolua was 682 hectares when he was a young man, but now it is only 500. Individuals, loggers, developers, the state and even developers created vast areas of lush land. The state built a railway through the forest. His memories of the buffaloes, zebra and giraffe have vanished.
Muriithi believes they won’t return, but he wants to protect what is still there. He is the head of a community association that patrols and replaces invasive trees with native ones. This is dangerous. Muriithi, who was investigating illegal logging, said that a body had been dumped in the forest. He was then warned that he could be next. This forced Muriithi to flee to Uganda.
“It’s dangerous, but I’m happy the community now has come to big numbers,” he said standing next to a pile of dirt, wood fragments, and soil from land he claims was illegally cleared. “They might kill me and someone else, but they will not destroy the whole community.”
(This story is not edited by Devdiscourse staff.