The Kenya Forest Service has announced that 89 suspects have been arrested in the ongoing crackdown against illegal activities.
KFS acting Commandant David Chege revealed this at Nairobi Arboretum on Monday during World Rangers’ Day commemoration.
“So far, we have arrested about 89 culprits who have been found conducting such activities such as charcoal burning, cutting of trees illegally along the forests others have been arrested while encroaching the forest or grazing,” Chege said.
World Rangers’ Day was set aside every July 31 to commemorate rangers injured or killed in the line of duty and to celebrate the work they do to protect the planet’s natural treasures, and cultural heritage, including natural resources (forests) critical to human lives and livelihoods.
Chege represented CCF Alex Lemarkoko and KFS Board Chair Job Chirchir during the commemoration of the event at Nairobi Arboretum.
The joint enforcement team was deployed on May 5 after the Environment CS Soipan Tuya called for the crackdown citing the Mau Forest complex as one of the main hotspots.
The deployment was made after illegal forest activities increased in Kericho, Nakuru, Baringo and Narok.
“I am directing the acting Chief Conservator of Forests to with immediate effect activate the multiagency crackdown team, to mount an intense, targeted and sustained crackdown across all forest ecosystems in the country to end these illegal activities,” Tuya said.
The joint enforcement units include the National Police Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Prisons, and KFS Rangers.
Tuya had also directed KFS to establish a fully-fledged hotline that is manned 24 hours for citizens to report illegal activities in their areas.
“We will be giving frequent reports to the nation on the progress of the crackdown up and until such a time that we completely wipe out illegal activities in our forests,” Tuya said.
Chege on Monday said the illegal activities have been reduced following heightened surveillance as well as arrests that have so far been made.
“We have committed a lot of resources including aerial surveillance which we conduct on a weekly basis. The number of incidences has reduced, and communities are more aware that they need to protect the forest,” Chege said.
Chege said some suspects have been arrested while using motorbikes to conduct illegal activities while others have resorted to using donkey carts and trucks.
He said those arrested had been arraigned taken in courts of law.
“A good number have been fined by our courts and that is acting as a deterrent. At the coast, we have issues to do with mangrove logging and charcoal burning,” he said.
Chege said those found culpable for dealing with charcoal have been slapped with Sh 10,000 fine as a deterrent.
He revealed that there were 31 cases in Mau and North Rift and 15 cases have been finalised with various sentences.
‘In Laikipia, we had one case of a notorious person committing forest crimes and we seized a vehicle which was forfeited to the state. Some of the court cases are ongoing,” Chege said.
KFS protects 6.4 million acres of gazetted forests and another 420 million acres under counties.
Chege said his rangers will continue pursuing criminals to avoid reversing the gains made even as the state puts efforts towards increasing the country’s forest cover.
The state intends to plant 15 billion trees in the next 10 years at a cost of Sh600 billion.
This means that each year, the budget is approximately Sh60 billion.
The 15 billion tree campaign translates to 30 trees per Kenyan per year over the next 10 years.
The state hopes that by 2032, the country’s tree cover will have hit 30 per cent from the current 12.13 per cent.
Statistics from the state show that the forest cover increased from 5.9 per cent in 2018 to 8.83 percent in 2021, while the national tree cover stands at 12.13 per cent above the constitutional target of 10 per cent.
Results generated from the National Forest Resources Assessment 2021 show that the country has 5,226,191.79ha of national forest cover, which represents 8.83 per cent of the total area.