Folks,
Could this be the reason why Moi nominated and brought Uhuru Kenyatta to politics to protect his interest? I see why Anglo Leasing and Goldenburg scandal is giving Uhuru ghostly shocks.
Can someone dig some more so we can have their heads out of the sand.
When they get stuck and over protective to leadership like porcupines with invisible inscriptions of “The Touch Me Not” syndrome, there is something cooking. They mastered the art of fear to scare public so to keep Public at bay as if they are lions – but even the lions are hunted and tamed. People, you need to dig more, even those Ministries they wont let go, there are lots of smoke a sign that fire is burning underneath.
Judy Miriga
USA
Re: ROLE OF POLITICAL FAMILIES & LOGGING IN MAU SA
« Reply #3 Yesterday at 11:24pm »
Politicalmaniac,
You’re right. The Prime Minister has a huge task ahead – since he has started a battle that’s extremely difficult.
The Mau Forest saga epitomizes everything wrong about Kenya. Political patronage, forest & land expropriation, illegal logging, forced evictions of peasants, inter-tribal conflicts, losing government battles with corporate hegemonies, international pressure from Nile dependent states etc etc
For your information, the Prime Minister has a close insider account to the Mau debacle from none other than his current PS, Dr Mohamed Isahakia, who was former president Moi’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources during the height of the Mau deforestation policies around the sunset years of the Nyayo rule.
Dr. Isahakhia himself had run-in battles with Moi‘s loyal Minister in the same Environment & Natural Resources docket, Noah Katana Ngala. The latter was blindly implementing policies that were decimating Kenya’s forests purely for business interests and political patronage.
The biggest bribe to convince Kipsigis electorate into voting for Moi’s project Uhuru Kenyatta in 2002, was more than 147,000 acres of forest land excised from the gazetted and state owned Mau Forest. This was forest land that the Moi and Kenyatta logging and timber interests, RaiPly and Timsales had previously shaved off hardwood trees in unfettered fashion.
Moi had previously directed Ngala and Isahakhia to excempt his RaiPly (K) Ltd and Kenyatta family’s Timsales (K) Ltd from the ban on hardwood logging within gazetted state forests at Bararget, Nesiut and Mauche areas of the Mau Forest. The shaved lands were then allocated via political patronage, through pointmen like Isaac Ruto, Franklin Bett and others.
The ambivalence in Dr Isahakia was exposed when, on October 24, 2001, he told the Daily Nation that if he would have had his way, he would have thrown the entire lot of forest officers responsible for the plunder of forests into Kamiti Maximum Prison.
Dr. Isahakia was shortly fired thereafter.
Let Isahakia now help the PM pull the strings together. I’m only worried that the Moi-Kenyatta angle (through illegal logging activities of RaiPly (K) and Timsales (K) ) are not featuring prominently in detangling the mess at Mau.
Dubois,
This article mentions nothing about PNU – unless you were reading a different posting.
It is public knowledge Uhuru represents the substantial Kenyatta Family stake at Timsales -go through the public media archives or just google it up, don‘t be lazy my friend. Many such articles as these (below) pop up.
http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2007/0….ntial-campaign/
Timsales was originally (founded in the late 30s) a Colonial/British company engaging in the timber business,. It specialized in harvesting cheaply, from Kenya’s vast natural forests, exotic hardwood trees being cleared for colonial settlement.
After independence, the clever British owners foresaw the significant role that local politics would impact in their business. Thus they invited President Jomo Kenyatta into partnership – for strategic reasons- to enable the continued plunder of Kenya’s trees.
True, Timsales have their own tree farms – but they mainly plant fast-growing softwoods like eucalyptus and not the expensive hardwoods which take decades to grow.
To sustain their current business, a lot of stealing of hardwoods from gazzeted state forests is part of their game. The Kenyatta, Moi and current Kibaki governments have all facilitated that robbery. The government has proved unable to protect our forests from the decimation by these political corporations like Timsales – with a heavy arm in government since independence.
Compare Timsales (K) to Raiply (K)’s brief history hereby.
RaiPly started off as Rai Timber, formed by two Indian brothers who were previously thriving businessmen in Uganda, until dictator Idi Amin kicked them out of the country (with other Asians).
Rai Timber, started off its wood processing interests in Mt Elgon then began expanding. It later moved to Eldoret where the Rai brothers partnered with the late Shabir.
At this time, Rai Timber never had the audacity to venture into gazetted state forests for ‘free’ hardwood harvests…..not even applying for the government granted forestry management concessions (given to select companies).
In 1993, Shabir & his wife were mysteriously murdered.
Immediately after the partners murder in 1993, Rai Timber got TWO NEW POWERFUL PARTNERS, a Mr Nicholas Kipyator Kiprono Arap Biwott and Mr Daniel Kipkorios Toroitich Arap Moi.
The new business changed its name to RaiPly (K) and immediately jumped into Kenya’s state forests.
The company also forcefully evicted squatters in a 20 acre plot they sought to set up a tree nursery near Eldoret.
RaiPly immediately became a tough competitor to Timsales (K) whom they learnt a lot from. The businesses collaborated in the joint decimation of Kenya’s state forests, with the old hand Timsales (K) leading, and the new player RaiPly (K) following.
From our exotic hardwoods, for no charge, Timsales and Raiply trucks and loggers blaze through in their harvests that eventually yield; veneer, chipboards, plywood, ceiling boards, blockboards, parquet, wooden tiles, doors, mattresses, gunia sacks, and even polythene bags for special orders to sugar parastatals (Mumias, Sony etc).
As you can see, the money is good and any environmental concerns raised by concerned Kenyans and activists becomes just some bothersome noise trying to prevent the big fellas from eating peacefully.
They will eat until we become a desert, then they can move on to other safe habitations.
Talking of other habitations. RaiPly (K) has eyed a quiet habitat full of hardwoods outside Kenya’s borders.
RaiPly (M), a subsidiary of RaiPly (K), is now the biggest wood processor in Malawi. To the good people of Malawi and their poor trees, here comes Moi and Biwott into your state forests!!!!!!!! Another desert is in the making right in South/Central Africa.
Link to Post – Back to Top Logged
Titchaz
– – –
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:56:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Judy Miriga
Subject: Fw: ROLE OF POLITICAL FAMILIES & LOGGING IN MAU FOREST
DESERTIFICATION OF EAST AFRICA UP TO AND INCLUDING EGYPT.
Timsales belonging to the Kenyatta family has been logging in the forests of Kenya since Independence, 12.12.1963. This family has greedily and heartlessly altered the country’s climate over the last 45 years.
When Moi came to power he and Biwott formed RaiPly logging company which is also not only involved in a cut throat competition with Timsales in logging but also in destroying the ecology of the country with impunity and in so doing has pushed climate change to the limit.
If these three families of Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Toroitich arap Moi and Nicholas Kipyator arap Biwott are not stopped from logging by the world then the races in East Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt which depend on the rain forests and the Nile for survival are doomed to extinction.
The world must take a very close note of the that Nicholas Kiyator arap Biwott and Daniel Toroitich arap Moi’s RaiPly is also already actively decimating the little forest in Malawi. These greedy heartless people only see money even if the change in the clmate sweeps them into extinction they have no eyes to see or ears to hear.
The above mentioned countries must at once demand that the loggers: Uhuru Kenyatta, Nicholas Kipyator arap Biwott and Toroitich arap Moi be arrested and arraigned at the International Criminal Court to be tried for the crimes they are knowingly committing against humanity by destroying the life-giving forests. The time to stop them is now!
As the climate of Africa changes because of the destruction of the forests in East and Central Africa global warming is definitely going to take a dangerous turn. These three families who are already too rich should not be allowed by the international community to destroy millions of populations with impunity.
Kenya government alone will not manage the the families since most of the leaders, particularly on the PNU side are also deeply involved in corruption.
DR. ODIDA OKUTHE
Pingback: Forest Policy Research » Blog Archive » 379 EU-Africa-Mid-East
Logging is a time honored profession providing incomes and livelihoods to millions worldwide, including the developed west. Dr Odida Okuthe has absolutely no scientific basis for attacking the three aforementioned families. Incidentally Raiplywood, an Asian owned wood processing firm was established long before Moi became president, while it is well known that Timsales existed in colonial times & was only later bought out by the Kenyatta family. This Kenyan myopia of attacking ruling families for all kinds of imagined crimes must come to an end. The Mau is not the first forest to be logged and it wont be the last. It is a pity that writers such as the above (his PHD notwithstanding) continue to churn out lies and half-truths. This will in no way aid the noble task of restoring our environment
The Mau saga is indeed political. I am calling upon the real leaders to be counted out. We need to take a stand and solve this problem once and for all. It might seem that Raila is loosing out politically, but the truth be told, the feel on the ground is otherwise. Kenyans are now politically enlightened and we have refused to be led by tribal political barons.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
COULD THE TWO MAIN SUSPECTS OF POST ELECTION VIOLENCE READ RUTTO AND UHURU BE FIGHTING THEIR LAST BATTLE BEFORE THEIR DOWNFALL, AND THEY WANT TO GO DOWN WITH OTHERS?
MARTIN BIWOTT
KAPSOWAR
veneers maybe necessary if you have very crooked teeth,”: