Kenyans in Makueni County on Thursday called for the government's intervention after a series of fires continued to ravage their forests.
According to the residents, the forest fires have been spreading across different areas under tree cover in the county, bringing down over 80 hectares of land, and completely burning down the Chai, Makuli, and Chyulu forests.
The residents however faulted the government over what they revealed was a failure to intervene, leaving them with the grappling consequences of the disaster.
“This fire has destroyed our forests and the government has not done anything about it yet. So if there is anyone who is in charge of this, I want them to know that the fire is continuing to damage our forests,” one of the residents stated.
They also added that there are risks of a human-animal conflict as they also have to deal with the animals invading their homes and destroying their crops as they escape from the fire.
“When the fire gets to them, the animals come down and destroy our crops. The monkeys, gorillas, and even snakes that can harm people are also here,” the resident added.
Even though the government has been very vocal and deliberate in conserving the environment, the failure to intervene to stop the fires has left the residents wondering about the position of the authorities on the disaster.
Forest fires have been reported to have resulted in devastating losses not only to residents living around such areas but also to the ecosystem of the country as a whole.
In 2022, a devastating forest fire razed down over 12,000 acres of land in the Mount Kenya Forest after spreading for days.
In that fire, however, firefighters drawn from Kenya Forest Services (KFS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), Rhino Ark, Mt Kenya Trust, and the local community were dispatched to put out the fire. Their efforts were however futile as the fire kept spreading faster than they had expected.
"We suspect the fire was started by arsonists or honey harvesters. The fire has been unmanageable due to the strong winds. Currently, the fire line is about 15 kilometers long,” KFS Meru Ecosystem Conservator, John Njoroge stated.
The fires also resulted in increased erosion and water runoff, leading to environmental concerns over the level of government preparedness.
