POLITICIANS SHOULD STOP POLITICISING MAU COMPLEX ISSUE

By Maritim Evans

It is high time politicians should stop politicising the Mau Forest issue and do something worth for us to conserve the forest which is a lifeline for many people across Kenya and beyond. 

Kenya is privileged to have such a big water tower in East Africa and her efforts to conserve it cannot be gainsaid.

The immense value of the forest cannot be underestimated. The ecological services that the Mau Complex provides are estimated to have an annual market value of USD 1.3 billion, supporting Kenya’s most important economic sectors including energy, tourism, and agriculture.

Besides that the forest acts as a natural source of water for many urban centers in Kenya, forming the upper catchment of 12 rivers and feeding five major lakes, including Lake Victoria, the source of the River Nile.

This means that conserving the forest will not only benefit Kenyans, but also Egyptians who mainly depend on water from the Nile for irrigation.

Mau Forest Complex 

Alarming statistics that the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) released in 2011 almost sparked a furious row between Kenya and Egypt.

UNEP revealed that almost a quarter of Mau has been encroached for settlements, illegal resource extraction such as logging and charcoal production, and the change in land use from forest to large-scale tea plantations and smallholder agriculture including change in ownership from public to private. This has taken a toll on the rivers and lakes that depend on the forest catchment area.

In 2008, the inauguration of the Sondu-Miriu hydro power plant was postponed due to low water levels that are said to be resulting from the destruction of the forest.

Despite the huge resources that the country draws from the forest, the Ogiek community has cultural and spiritual attachment to the forest.

Eviction of Mau illegal settlers began in 2005, but the approach used could not work.  The government should not have evicted tens of thousands people while it had no place to settle them.

While it is important to conserve the forest, the illegal inhabitants should be properly settled after eviction.

Even as the eviction and conservation of the forest continue, awareness campaigns should be carried out to teach people the importance of conserving the forest. Resettlement also should not be used as a bait by politicians to win votes.