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Forest debate in
Kenya parliament
by Jennifer Wanjiru, Rights Features Service
(April 19,
2001) A motion has been filed in Kenya's parliament urging the
government to prepare "within six months" a master plan on forest
rehabilitation, protection of rivers, and vegetation.
Moved by
the Democratic Party (DP), the motion filed on April 18 in parliament
continued to attracted immense interest among members and an almost
full house attendance.
Making the
motion, DP's Laikipia East Member of Parliament (MP), 29-year
old Mwangi Kiunjuri, told the attentive house that the government
was duty bound to conserve the forestland and not involve itself
in destruction of the same.
"The government
should abandon the I-do-not-care attitude it currently exhibits,"
said Kiunjuri. "This will finally expose the whole nation to effects
of decertification."
The motion
comes at a time when the government has been blocked by the High
Court from excising some 10 percent of Kenya's forestland, 70
percent of which is the Ogiek indigenous community homeland of
Mau Forest. (Excision would remove the forest from environmental
protection and allow development of the land.)
Although
the opposition had demanded a five-year plan, the government side
managed to move an amendment that struck out the time frame. A
further amendment proposed by DP's Gichugu constituency legislator
Martha Karua put a deadline of six months to the preparation of
the master plan. The government did not oppose the amendment.
Seconding
the motion, Ford-Kenya party member Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, also an
anthropologist, commended the campaigns that have been initiated
by "local and international lobby groups" to save the forests.
"Were it
not for local and international pressure the government would
have gone ahead and excised the forests. We must commend both
the local and international lobby groups who have tirelessly helped
in this struggle," said the MP.
He further
described the recent attempt to degazette (remove from environmental
protection) forestland as "criminal" and as an "indication that
there is a governance crisis."
For her part,
Ms Karua said parliament is being forced to give the government
a time limit to implement the environmental master plan because
"the authorities have become reactive instead of proactive."
She accused
the government of leaving the work of protecting the environment
to the "The Greenbelt Movement and other organizations."
A government
minister, Kiptum Choge, accused forest officers of "colluding
with saw millers" to harvest trees.
While contributing
to the motion, Vice President and leader of Government Business
Prof. George Saitoti said the "effort to conserve the forest is
the responsibility of each and every individual and not just the
government.
Although
the issue of the degazettment could not be debated because it
is still in court, Mathira MP Matu Wamae suggested that the government
publish a list of squatters it intended to settle "if it was genuine."
The vocal
cabinet minister in the office of the president William ole Ntimama
lamented the continued destruction of Mau Forest.
"We must
be very careful about what we do with our forests, otherwise we
shall be blamed for not having left a legacy."
Parliament
was tickled when Prof. Anyang Nyongo asked members to observe
a minute of silence "in memory of murdered trees."
But as the
debate continues, it is the first time in many years that parliament
has wanted to exert its influence on forest matters.
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