Photo retrieved from: www.listravelsafaris.com
“Three MPs from Nandi are opposed to a plan to hive off 3,000 acres of on indigenous forest land in the region for the establishment of a Sh50 billion World Bank-funded water and electricity project aimed at benefitting residents of three provinces.
The MPs -David Koech, Elijah Lagat and Henry Kosgey- said they would not allow the destruction of any section of the 20,000 hectare indigenous forests at Kimondi in Nandi South for the project which is being funded through the Lake Basin Development Authority.”We are opposed to destruction of the indigenous forests which our communities have been preserving for many years”, said Koech.
The MPs said the project would have a serious impact on the environment and said the government and the donors should find alternative land in the region for the project instead of destroying forests.
The project is expected to produce more than 30 Megawatts of electricity and will supply water to areas in Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western regions.
Objection to the project has been growing with environmentalists and even local community leaders warning that the project-expected to be the biggest multi-purpose water dam in the country- would impact negatively on the environment and would destroy the few remaining sources of medicinal trees such as Elgon teak, prunes, crotons and other rare species of trees which take decades to mature.
The leaders warned that that food production in western Kenya as well as water flowing from River Yala to Lake Victoria would be negatively affected. Environmental groups and local community leaders say the project will also destroy habitation of rare antelopes and other wild species which have migrated to the forest swamps.”
Read more: allAfrica.com
I was born and grew up on the edge of the South Nandi Forest in the early 1950s. The so called Nandi Leaders are economical with the truth. Mr Kosgey was an MP & Government Minister when the Nandi Forest was destroyed by Logging Interests and Politically driven resettlement in the 1980s. Him and the two younger MPs were aware of the project proposal right from the start (nearly 10 years ago). Why did they not speak then? The Environmentalists are just making noise to attract foreign funding-they have no commitment to conservation. They witnessed the South Nandi Forest reduce from a 19,000 Ha closed canopy rain forest of the 1950s to the current 8,000 Ha and did nothing about it. The Kenya Forest Service and its predecessor the Forest Department have worked in cahoots with criminal elements who are pit-sawing the remaining hardwoods 24/7. I project the forest could disappear by 2015. So let us stop the hypocrisy and do something useful with this forest before it becomes a wasteland. I AM FOR THE DAM PROJECT. COUNT ON MY VOTE!
Cosmas Ronno
Guasa Ngishu County
From Cosmas Ronno’s reply, two wrongs don’t make a right. We cannot justify the actions of yester years and pasts governments by blatantly destroying what is left of this fragile eco system.
The locals have not been involved. The locals have become friends of the forest after they realized that they cannot exist without the forest, and have become custodians of the forest.
It is so ignorant, cruel and rude to say let us do something about the forest before it becomes a wasteland. That thing should be planting rehabilitating the forest, not destroting the last of what is remaining.
Cosmas should go back to Nandi, visit the forest then think clearly and write again. The forest is conserved now. Nandi leaders are not only the MP’s. The current chairman of Nandi County himself is a young man who was also raised at the edge of this forest and he supports the conservation of the forest.
Where are the so called defenders of Mau forest evictions. Where are those who said they were going to trade their political careers for Mau forest? Are they so silent now that it serves their communities?
Dominic Mutai,
Kaptumo