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Rights lawyer criticizes
Kenyan president for "commissioning" forest destruction
by Jennifer Wanjiru, Rights Features Service
(January
8, 2001) Kenyan human rights lawyer Mirugi Kariuki has criticized
President Daniel arap Moi of "commissioning the destruction of
Mau Forest," a local daily reported today.
The criticism
comes in the wake of an international
campaign waged by a coalition of human rights and environmental
organizations to safeguard Kenya's Mau Forest and protect
the Ogiek indigenous community, who live in the threatened habitat.
"Moi should
embark on a serious management of forests and all the national
water catchment areas by revoking all the allocation of forest
lands to individuals", the People Daily quoted the lawyer
saying.
The lawyer
accused Moi of being behind the wanton destruction of Mau Forest
and told him to stop fooling Kenyans that he is concerned about
forest destruction in the country.
He regretted
that the Mau, Likia, and Molo forests have been depleted and called
for a total ban on logging.
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