Joe Ageyo wrote an article
Why I’m not celebrating the Mau Move
http://www.kensja.org/?p=208
By Joe Ageyo
For the first time since the battle for Karura Forest in the 1990s, environmental activists in Kenya must be celebrating. The Mau Forest saga has captured the imagination of the nation in ways only similar to political campaigns. Could this be a signal that environmental conservation is finally taking its rightful place in Kenya ’s national psyche or is Mau just another political fad, in a country with a penchant for quarrels and disagreements?
The position taken by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga is a case in point. Mr Odinga has always had only one response to environmental disputes – that nature has to be ‘destroyed’ a little for a country to progress. In fact his sound bite is often juicier, he says: ‘if you want to have grand children, then your daughter must not remain a virgin’. This was his take on both the controversial Tana Delta sugar scheme and the equally contentious Yala Swamp project. This past few days however he has indicated that he is willing to put his political career on the line to ‘save’ the Mau. This can only suggest one of two things: either the Prime Minister has finally seen the light or the Mau situation is really grave.
I will address only the latter proposition since that is how the Mau situation has been framed these past few weeks. Yes, it is true, the Mau Complex is a very important national resource- as one of the so-called five water towers in the country. And yes, it is true that the destruction going on in the Mau is indeed grave, and ought to have been stopped many years ago. But is Mau the most serious and pressing environmental crisis facing the country today? Is it the most endangered national resource in Kenya today? Put differently, is there something more to the Mau saga than what the government or indeed the Rift Valley MPs would want us to believe? Something stinks about the timing and framing of this genuine environmental concern!
A recent survey by UNEP and KWS indicated that between the year 2000 and 2003, a whopping 6,013 hectares in the Mount Kenya Forest was illegally cleared, compared to about 5,000 hectares in the Mau over the same period. The same aerial survey suggested that Mount Elgon Forest too was disappearing at nearly the same rate.
Granted, no nation can deal with all its environmental problems in one fell swoop, but what guarantee is there that after the Mau, the government will extend the same enthusiasm to Nairobi River, whose clean-up has been ‘going on’ for the last ten years and not even an inch has actually been cleaned? Or Lake Victoria , which is choking in raw sewer and agrochemicals from the highlands?
The government has skilfully presented the Mau situation as being the cause of all our problems ranging from the famine in parts of the country to the biting water shortage in Nairobi . This partly explains why the issue has become so emotive. Yet some experts would rather argue that Nairobi ’s water has more to do with the Aberdares and Mount Kenya forests more than the Mau – but that is neither here nor there. The point is, environmental issues are complex and are oversimplified only at the risk of misleading the nation.
If the government were really serious about addressing the issue of deforestation, it should have unveiled a comprehensive policy of protecting all forests in the country. The current plan suggests the formation of a Mau Complex Authority to oversee the restoration and protection of the Mau, does this mean we will eventually have five such authorities to steward all five of Kenya ’s water towers? Are we always going to form a task force or a new institution every time we are faced with a crisis?
What is needed in the Mau is not the creation of a new institution but ensuring the current institutions work. All the studies conducted on Kenya ’s forest situation invariably point to weak enforcement of existing laws owing to an incredibly low morale and corruption among forest officers. In addition, the Kenya Forest Service does not know for certain how much forest there is in the country, and therefore is ill-prepared to safeguard this resource.
The government has also curiously presented the eviction of the so-called squatters as the ultimate solution to problem of deforestation in the Mau. Whereas, people who irregularly acquired forestland must pay for their sins, including surrendering the land, we must not let the heat of the moment push us into discarding reason. The new forest management regime under the Forest Act 2005 expressly provides for the involvement of local communities in the management of forests. Indeed it is now widely accepted that no environmental policy, including the management of the Mau, can succeed without the support of the local communities. We should therefore not create a national impression that people who live next to forests will always destroy them. Furthermore the fledgling Kenya Forest Service does not have enough personnel to police all the forests in the country; they need the numerous eyes of local communities to secure these important national resources.
Good treatment always begins with an accurate diagnosis – the Mau situation may yet prove to be a serious case of misdiagnosis!
Joe Ageyo- NTV (Currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Environmental Governance at the University of Manchester , UK )
This article should be re read again to show us that may be the reason we missed water in Nairobi is because of a failed state that keeps Kikuyu peasants to small acres of plots to produce food instead of putting money in the North of Kenya to save the environment.
Mau is sensational but that it may be just a political battle zone not where the future of Kenya’s environmental salvation lies. An integrated development Policy approach is the way. And that needs to ask questions with what do we do with our Export led agricultural produce Policy that continues to deny Kenyans food and hence forces peasants to penetrate further into the forest to grow food and cash crops.
I have decided to look at things with a more holistic view. There is a very skewed view of things in Kenya.
Cyprian Orina Nyamwamu
Yes, Joe, your article is a good one and you identified genuine concerns. However, you failed to spice your take on the Mau with any viable solutions.
If you make an attempt to provide solutions to those issues identified in your piece, then it will be a balanced critique of the current government policy on the Mau complex saga.
D Aduonga
We have to conserve our environment no matter what cost. It is regrettable to hear from leaders who have even led this country for over 24 years still behave as if evolving from ancient stone age.
Earlier between 2008 and 2009 Kenya was hit by drought and fermine. We lost livestock and witnessed migration of wildlife to neighborhood.
All these amounted backtrack in all sectors of the economy.
All these are due to environmental mismanagement.
Bwana Orina;
I don’t know why you brought this article to the forum. One, its Ruto
and his allies that are making an issue out of the Mau. Two, Aberdares
has been reclaimed and if one is found encroaching, they are punished
severely. Three, no one said Mt Kenya will not be reclaimed, its Ruto
who’s trying to bring politics to national environmental conservation
programmes. But thats a small issue.
regarding Nairobi river “thats been under cleaning for ten or so
years”, didn’t I read in the same press that fish has been located
swimming in the “river” around the museum hill area. And actually,
some fish eating bird species are appearing in that place, tell me
thats not fruits of environmental conservation?
Lets appreciate the work of everyone and encourage them to do even
more. Whining all through paints us in bad light. Can Kenya think out
of the box instead of crying foul all through on simple things we can
handle ourselves?
My two cents.
Kenfish
This is to monger Breigner…
“didn’t I read in the same press that fish has been located
swimming in the “river” around the museum hill area. And actually,
some fish eating bird species are appearing in that place, tell me
thats not fruits of environmental conservation?
Lets appreciate the work of everyone and encourage them to do even
more”
Your the one who needs to think outside the box, ..
ppl of Mau and the entire region hate fish,
This is one of the rare and sober articles on the Mau Debate. For far too long we have been treated to lies and sensationalist journalism spiced with ethnic hatred and plain stupidity. The hypocrisy over the Mau on the part of quasi environmentalists is just plain disgusting.
There has been no attempt to give a scientific basis to some of the arguments being advanced by the plethora of briefcase environmentalists and quack scientists that litter the Kenyan Landscape. Certain Facts & Myths aught to be pointed out, such as:
Fact: The Greater Mau once covered a hell of a lot of districts, such as Molo, Koibatek, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kericho, Bomet, the Greater Narok, El Keiyo Marakwet etc. Some of the most outspoken hypocrites have land or have relatives in these areas.
Fact: All Tea Estates in Nandi, Kericho, Nyeri, Kiambu, Muranga and most of Meru were carved out of Virgin Forests.
Fact: All the previous and current regime had and have the legal powers to degazzette any forest. Moi was not an exception.
Fact: Many forests in Nyanza, Western, Central and elsewhere have been allocated and continue being allocated to those in need and those who already have land.
Myth: Forests ‘Attract Rain’. This is a piece of trash, devoid of scientific basis and forms part of the Emerging Mythology propagated by the said Briefcase Environmentalists, whose only objective is to line their pockets with foreign cash.
Fact: Rain Causes Forests to grow-not the other way around.
Fact: Forests help to CONSERVE RAIN WATER by allowing it to CHARGE UNDERGROUND ACQUFERS which in TURN DISCHARGE IT AS STREAMS AND RIVERS.
The myth being spread around Kenya that DESTRUCTION OF the MAU CAUSES DROUGHT IS PURE SENSATIONALISM at BEST, and PURE GARBAGE AT WORST.
It is not surprising to hear some of these QUACKS go on about the environment (after all they are just that-quacks). But it SHOCKS ME TO THE CORE to hear men and women with PHDs in Earth Sciences (and Nobel Laureats to Boot) to REGURGITATE THE SAME GARBAGE. Surely there can be no honour among LAIRS.
C.K. Ronno
Eldoret