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24th January 2022
We, the undersigned main private and non-private organizations involved with the conservation and administration of forests in Kenya, are alarmed by a call by the Parliamentary Procedures and Home Guidelines Committee to provoke a transfer to amend part 34 of the Forest Conservation and Administration Act (2016).
The present Part 34(2A) requests that any proposed public forest boundary alteration or excision: shall solely be thought of by the Nationwide Meeting upon the technical advice by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).
The present Forest Act and its Part 34(2A) have been rigorously drafted in response to arbitrary excisions that led to wanton destruction of forests within the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. Certainly, earlier than the introduction of the above necessities set in Part 34 of the Act, roughly 5,000 hectares of public forests have been excised yearly, representing an space 5 instances the scale of Karura Forest Reserve. Unwarranted excisions culminated in 2001 with over 65,000 hectares of public land excised in at some point. For the reason that introduction of the above necessities within the Forest Act of 2005 after which the Forest Conservation and Administration Act of 2016, no authorized excision of a public forest has taken place. This has made most people and Worldwide Neighborhood have excessive regards to the nationwide aspiration to preserve and shield forests. This acquire is prone to be misplaced by the proposed change.
The proposed modification seeks to repeal Part 34(2A) which gives that any petition to change boundaries or excise public forests or a portion thereof shall solely be thought of by the Nationwide Meeting upon technical advice by the Kenya Forest Service. The proposed modification seeks to vest the facility to find out the destiny of any such petitions on the Clerk of the Nationwide Meeting and the Parliamentary Procedures and Home Guidelines Committee with out session with the Kenya Forest Service, which is the federal government’s lead professional company on forestry.
It’s price noting that the proposed modification contravenes the Petitions to Parliament (Process) Act (2012), part 3(f) which requires that such issues must be determined by Parliament in session with the related state company, which in such issues is the Kenya Forest Service.
We, the undersigned main private and non-private organisations involved with the conservation and administration of forests in Kenya, STRONGLY OPPOSE the meant adjustments to the Forest Conservation and Administration Act and demand that the mentioned amendments be withdrawn forthwith for the sake the conservation of our forests and our well-being.
Forests are important bastions of biodiversity. Though they cowl solely 7.4% of Kenya’s land space, they harbour a disproportionate quantity of Kenya’s biodiversity when it comes to fauna and flora species. Forests host an estimated 50% of all woody vegetation, 40% of all massive mammals 30% of the birds and 35% of the butterflies. Our forests present a variety of ecosystem providers which can be crucial for environmental stability, our well-being and our financial growth. Our forests are important for the nation’s water assets. They’re the water catchments of all predominant rivers in Kenya, offering the much-needed water in assist of key financial sectors, together with agriculture, power, business and tourism. The ecosystem providers offered by our key mountain forests alone, referred to as Kenya’s 5 ‘water towers’, are valued at KES 621 billion yearly. Certainly, forests are the bedrock for financial growth and authorities Agenda 4.
The forestry sector alone contributes some 3.6% to the nation’s Gross Home Product (GDP) and straight employs some 350,000 individuals yearly.
Wanting ahead, our forests mitigate the unfavorable results of local weather change and cut back our vulnerability to excessive climate occasions, together with droughts and floods. Kenya included forest safety within the 2010 Structure to emphasize the socio-economic and ecological significance of forests to our well-being and financial growth.
Passing the proposed amendments would imply that the Kenya Forest Service will lose its energy to evaluate and sanction any proposed public forest boundary alteration earlier than being submitted to the Nationwide Meeting. This may drastically weaken the governance mechanisms of our public forests and can be a serious setback of their safety. Contemplating what Kenya has misplaced prior to now, any change that weakens, somewhat than strengthens the mechanisms to guard our forests, is ill-advised. The nation has dedicated to rising forest and tree cowl by the Nationwide Decided Contribution along with different Worldwide Conventions. Any attainable loss in forest cowl must be opposed. Legislations that make it simple to fluctuate a forest’s boundary are a hazard to forest conservation in Kenya.
We’re fearful that the passing of the proposed modification will take us again to the times earlier than the enactment of the Forest Act of 2005 when forest loss by unwarranted excisions was the order of the day. The proposed repeal of Part 34(2A) will open avenues for the grabbing of public forest land. It’s going to inevitably result in the lack of forests. This may spell doom to our forestry sector and plenty of different sectors that rely upon the ecological providers offered by forests. It’s going to additionally set a foul authorized precedent to different pure resource-related insurance policies and legislations such because the Wildlife (Conservation and Administration) Act, 2013 and the Fisheries Administration and Improvement Act, 2016, amongst others, which have related provisions.
We additionally observe that the proposer of the modification has not demonstrated the urgency to amend part 34 of the Forest Act and that the modification has been proposed with out public participation as enshrined within the Structure. We observe that the Ministry of Atmosphere and Forestry is within the technique of reviewing the Forest Conservation and Administration Act, 2016 and so the piecemeal modification can wait when the stakeholders are reviewing the entire doc.
We wish to take this chance to remind the Kenyan Parliament that the nation’s pure assets must be protected and prudently managed for the good thing about present and future generations.
We name upon the Parliamentary Procedures and Home Guidelines to WITHDRAW the proposed Modification Invoice forthwith. We additionally urge Members of Parliament who’ve the general public curiosity at coronary heart to reject the proposed modification to the Forest Conservation and Administration Act of 2016 when it’s introduced earlier than them.
We urge residents of goodwill and different like-minded actors to hitch us to STAND UP AND SHOUT for the safety of our forests and our well-being.
Signed: ——————————– Date: ——————- Ann Tek: Head of Advocacy and Coverage, KFWG
Signed on behalf of:
An announcement issued collectively by:
- Kenya Forest Working Group (KFWG)
- The East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS)
- World Extensive Fund for Nature- Kenya (WWF-Okay)
- Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Belief
- Kenya Forestry Analysis Institute (KEFRI)
- Nationwide Alliance of Neighborhood Forest Affiliation (NACOFA)
- Pure Useful resource Discussion board (NAREF)
- Inexperienced Youngsters’ Museum Kenya
- Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Affiliation (KWCA)
- WildlifeDirect
- Nature Kenya – the EANHS
- CISSTA Kenya
- Kwale County Pure Sources Community (KCNRN)
- Forestry Society of Kenya (FSK)
- Mount Kenya Belief
- Wildlife Golf equipment of Kenya, Laikipia
- Transfo Inexperienced World
- Forsmart Restricted (Personal Forestry Marketing consultant)
- Kenya Inexperienced College Community
- Campde Voices
- Chehe Neighborhood Forest Affiliation
- Soluzioni Sostenibili Di Energia
- Buddies of the Lembus Forest
- Lembus Basis
- Ngong Street Forest Neighborhood Forest Affiliation (CFA)
- Heart for Science and Expertise Innovation (CSTI)
- Forest Useful resource Worldwide
- Baringo Water Sources Customers Affiliation (WRUA Council)
- Conservation Alliance of Kenya (CAK)
- Mt Kenya Neighborhood Forest Affiliation – Nyeri County
- Nairobi Forest Conservation Committee (FCC)
- College of Nairobi, Wangari Mathai Institute of Local weather Change
- Inexperienced Belt Motion
- The Atmosphere Institute of Kenya
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