BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
Prof Maathai Wangi may have died but her spirit will continue haunting few greedy elite Kenyans who grabbed indigenous forests. It goes back to 2003 when the former Minister for the Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife, Dr Newton Kulundu warned that should former power man in Moi’s government, Mr Nicholas Biwott surrender illegally acquired Kaptagat Forest land he would be taken to court-click here-KENYA: Government Contradicts Biwott On Forest
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The Minister reiterated that the allocation of 161 hectares at Kaptagat Forest land to former Cabinet Minister was null and void. The Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife Minister also warned that officers who allocated the forest land to Biwott without considering the environment impact assessment would be sacked.
It all started when Fr. Michael Rop, parish priest at Mokwo Catholic Parish in the Diocese of Eldoret, Western Kenya, began to ask some tough political questions in his homilies and civic education workshops as to why the Kenya government allocated Minister of Trade and Industry Nicholas Biwott a 1,000-acre plot carved out of the nearby Kaptagat Forest, especially since the land had previously been set aside to settle landless and poor squatters in the area.
Biwott, who was also the area’s Member of Parliament, apparently did not take kindly to such inquiries from the church. Instead his supporters and other pro-government activists harassed Father Rop, accusing him of sexual harassment, threatening to evict him from the area, disrupting council parish meetings, and doing other things to undermine him.
It was not only Father Rop whose life was in danger but even his Bishop. On Sunday, July 1, 2001 armed police sealed off entrances to Mokwo Parish in an attempt to stop Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret from entering Holy Family Catholic Church. The police’s attempt failed because they didn’t realize that Korir had spent the previous night in the church compound.
Bishop Cornelius Korir had said the mother of Mr Biwott, the late Mama Maria Sote, was not a national heroine to warrant the hiving off of 1,000 acres of forest land for the construction of a memorial for her.
Despite the fact that international laws on the protection of forests were clear that any one found destroying trees must be charged in court and the Kenya Government provides for similar action, Biwott and other elites who grabbed the forest land in Kenya has never been charged in court of law because they are politically connected individuals.
According to Paul Ndung’u report on illegal allocation of public forest land, among other elite Kenyans who are mentioned include former MP Joseph Kamotho linked to the illegal acquisition of 2.228 hectares in Karura forest in exchange for land of his that was said to have been allocated to the Kenya technical Teachers College. He has ever since denied the allegation.
Mr William Ruto is mentioned in the report as having acquired Ngong Forest land which he later sold it to Kenya Pipeline Company, through his company, at a cost of Sh9.9 million in 2001. Former Gatundu MP Ngengi Muigai is mentioned as having acquired land in Karura Forest area and sold it to Kenya Reinsurance Company.
The Ndungu Report covers ten other forests as well as other public land, ranging from road reserves to cemeteries to public toilets and even State House land. In 2001, for example, land which was part of Ngong Road Forest was illegally excised, subdivided into 32 plots and allocated to 13 companies.
Between 28th and 29th August of the same year, these thirteen companies sold the plots to Kenya Pipeline Company for Ksh 262,388,478. The list of the companies, their directors and proceeds are listed below as per Ndungu report:
8.8 ha allocated for expansion of Langata Women’s Prison but later a big portion allocated to private developers who have constructed residential houses.
15.09 ha allocated in exchange with a prime plot in Industrial Area belonging to Department of Prisons but later allocated to private developers.
53.68 ha allocated to a private developer in 1998.82 ha excised in 1997 – the legal notice was signed by John Sambu- Minister for Energy and Natural Resources.
Like Karura Forest, Ngong serves vital water catchments, environmental and recreational uses. It provides oxygenation which helps ease the high levels of pollution in Nairobi and stabilizes the water table over a large area.
Kenyan former President Daniel arap Moi has also been exposed as one of the main beneficiaries of a controversial plan to cut down nearly 70,000 hectares (170,000 acres) of Kenya’s remaining forest, much of it in the Mau forest, home of Kenya’s Ogiek tribe.
People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
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