Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya on Wednesday, July 5, launched a nationwide crackdown on logging.
Speaking during a meeting in Marsabit with the Community Forest Association, Tuya announced that the government had mounted a major crackdown on logging and all forms of illegal forest activities starting with the Mau forest.
"People who imagine that our forests are available for encroachment should forget it. We have started an operation, starting in Mau, a place called Sururu and we will go to all forests," CS Tuya stated challenging the Kenya Forest Service to enhance surveillance against illegal forest activities.
"We can't be pushing for the growing of 15 billion trees while at the same time losing more trees to illegal activities. We can't be engaged in a zero-sum game," she cautioned.
Besides launching the crackdown, Tuya revealed plans to fence all gazetted forests across the country. She argued that the move will protect the country's ecosystem.
She maintained that fencing will help sustain the gains made through ecosystem restoration efforts such as the 15 billion national tree-growing programme.
"The first thing we've done as a Ministry is to map all forests across Kenya. We're looking for partners to back up government funding for fencing of all forests across the country," Tuya announced.
The CS, therefore, appealed to forest-adjacent communities to participate more actively in conservation activities insisting that her ministry will not succeed without their support.
On Sunday, July 2, President William Ruto lifted a six-year logging ban in the country. Speaking at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Molo, Nakuru, the Head of State announced that the government was at an advanced stage of allowing only mature trees to be harvested.
He stated that lifting the logging moratorium, which was in effect since 2018, will create jobs for both youths and businesses and is in line with the government's plan to plant 15 billion trees in ten years.
"Over the next 10 years, we shall grow 15 billion trees and restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded forests and rangelands," Ruto stated.
