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.