Two Kenya Wildlife Service officers died during a fire extinguishing exercise at the Aberdares Forest in Nyandarua.
Confirming the two deaths, KWS Assistant Director of Mountain Conservation, Bakari Mungumi, on Friday, February 17, noted that the two succumbed to injuries after a car they were using rolled over.
The two, according to the assistant director, were headed to a section of the forest that had been reported to have caught fire when the tragic incident occurred.
“The team had just embarked on the operation to put out the fire. Unfortunately, one car was involved in an accident where two of the officers succumbed," the officer noted.
The KWS chief conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families of the two slain officers and maintained that the wildlife service officers were determined to extinguish the fire in a bid to salvage the wildlife in the forest.
While issuing an update on the fire outbreak, KWS noted that over 40,000 acres of Aberdares forest were destroyed by wildfires that broke out one week ago.
According to the Wildlife conservation agency, the fires risked destroying crucial water catchment bodies that could go a long way to affect other important rivers and disrupt the water supply in parts of Nairobi .
“Currently, the fire is at Mooreland. This is the source of water for many rivers in Aberdare and if we have such fires often, this may reduce water retention and affect supply even in the city,” the Assistant Director added.
As part of its response, the government deployed helicopters and a team of over 200 officers to help in extinguishing the fire and avert the threats facing wildlife in the Aberdares.
The Aberdares fire - which broke out in early February - was, according to KWS, the worst since 2012. Notably, the fire came barely days after concerns were raised concerning a wildfire that had ravaged the Mau Forest in Narok County.
Both forests are important water catchment areas hence raising alarm about the consequences of the damage caused by the infernos.
