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Loggers
owe Sh32m, says forest boss
By
KENNEDY MASIBO – DAILY NATION 24. May 2004
Defaulters
told to pay up or face arrest
An
MP is among the people who owe the Government
Sh32 million for forest materials bought on credit since 1998,
a forestry official said yesterday.
The
Eldama Ravine Mp Mr Musa Sirma, owes more than Sh10 million for
materials obtained on
credit in Koibatek District, the Koibatek District Forest Officer,
Mr Joshua Charana. Mr Sirma is a former District Forest Officer.
The
immediate former MP for Kuresoi, Mr James Cheruiyot also owes the
Forestry Department
more than Sh5 million for logs obtained in the same period.
Mr
Joshua Charana
said, on Friday, that the Government had notified the
defaulters and given them one month to show they are ready to pay
the outstanding sums.
„Failure
to honour the repayment will leave us
with no option, but to go to court and obtain warrants of
arrest „ he said.
The
Government does not give forest produce free of charge, the
Officer said and advised those who harvested
logs to pay up or face the law.
When
contacted yesterday, Mr. Sirma declined to comment. Efforts to
contact Mr. Koske, a former assistant Minister for health, were
unsuccessful.
Mr
Charana also denied that logging was going on in Narasha forest.
He
said the alleged felling of trees had been “stage managed” to
discredit forestry department staff in the district. Four forest
guards, who allegedly stagemanaged the exercise, had been arrested,
he said.
Mr
Charana said the Governments ban on logging was still in force and
those found breaking the law would be dealt with.
The
Officer, who was posted to Koibatek only a few months ago, claimed
that a local politician was orchestrating a campaign to have him
removed, because he has refused to be compromised.
Speaking
in Mogotio during a funds drive presided over by Kanu acting
chairman Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr Sirma called on Environment and
Natural Resources minister Newton Kulundu to take action against
forest destruction, which he blamed on the local foresters.
He
said that unless the minister stopped the menace
he would be blamed for abetting it. He also urged the
President to take up the matter should Dr. Kulundu fail to act.
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