DCP threatens court action against ongoing logging in Aberdare forest

Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has threatened court action to stop the ongoing logging in the Aberdare forest.

The party leaders say the ongoing activity if not carried out cautiously, will lead to famine in areas that depend on rivers, originating from the catchment.

The leaders who attended a church service in Lari, Kiambu County, alleged that the exercise was hurriedly and being carried out to benefit a few.

The leaders dismissed claims by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) that the ongoing logging was not controlled, and that the government was doing away with mature trees, before embarking on reforestation.

”When they started deforestation. Yule mwenye alikuwa anasimamia misitu wakati huo alikuwa anaitwa Lemarkoko alikuja mbele ya kamati wakasema ile kitu wanafanya ni thinning.Thinning ni miti ambayo imekua na imeshikana sana. Wanatoa moja,” said Nyandarua Senator John Methu.

Kipipiri Member of Parliament (MP) Wanjiku Muhia added: “The legal notice Number 7 of 1943, the Aberdare forest was never gazette as a timber resource. It was gazetted as a water catchment area.”

The leaders who claimed that the ongoing deforestation is out to benefit just but a few, challenged the Forest Conservation agency to publicly detail the logging plan

“Msitu wa Aberdare hapa, approximately 20,000 hectares has been deforested. Na hakuna ile ati unatoa kidogo. Unatoa kuanzia mwanzo, mpaka mwisho. Nataka nimwambie mheshimiwa William Ruto, of what benefit will it be to you, if you get the whole world and loose your soul,” said Senator Methu.

Wading into the biting milk shortage, the leaders attributed the empty shelves in shops and supermarkets as well as the restricted access of the Commodity in some retail stores, to the alleged takeover of the New Cooperative creameries, New KCC, a process they claim begun on October 1.

Mukurwe-ini MP John Kagucia said: “Ile kiwanda ya KCC sasa tumejua imeanza kutoka katika mikono ya public imeanza kuingia katika mikono yake. Tunataka kuelewa, kwanini wakati kiwanda ya KCC inatoka kwamikono yetu inakuja kwa mikono yako maziwa inaanza kupungua. Ni nini hii unaficha.”

“New KCC inapewanwa kwa private companies. Kwanza kabisa, for a company to be privatized ingefaa kupitia kupita huko bunge. Wabunge wako hapa, nah io mswada haijafika bunge. Jambo ya pili, tunafaa tuambiwe hawa private companies wamepewa ni a kina nani,” said Senator Methu.

The team later held public engagements in Nyambari and Mburoti Centers in Lari, where they rallied Mt Kenya region towards concerted efforts in dealing with the illicit and counterfeit alcohol menace, slowly rearing its ugly head again.