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{
"id": 189247,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/189247/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kaino",
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"speaker": {
"id": 32,
"legal_name": "Boaz Kipchumba Kaino",
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"content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, in view of the fact that Cherangany Hills, a Government gazetted forest, is under serious threat from human activities such as logging; aware that the forest is an important natural resource which is the source of a number of rivers and streams; further aware that it is the Government's stated objective to conserve forests in order to mitigate the effects of climate change; this House urges the Government to protect Cherangany Hills from adverse human activities. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in moving this very important Motion, I would like to state that our forests are very, very important natural assets that we have to protect. Available data indicates that forests in Kenya account for only 3 per cent of the land area and 50 per cent of national tree species. About 40 per cent of mammals are harboured in the forests. About 20 per cent of the birds in the country are also found in the forests. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, Cherangany Hills is a very important forest which is the source of life for many people in the North Rift, especially the arid areas. It is also a source of water to Lake Turkana. Cherangany Hills have got around five very big rivers that flow down to Lake Victoria. They are River Moiben, River Kapterit, River Chepororwo and River Chepkaitit which drains its water into the Kerio Valley, River Murung and even River Turkwel. All those rivers flow into Lake Turkana, which we share internationally with Ethiopia. On the side of Lake Victoria, today, as we speak, the people of Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu and other western districts derive their water from Cherangany Hills. Most of that water comes from Cherangany Hills. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, poor management of that forest through encroachment and excessive use of poor agricultural activities had led to irretrievable loss of valuable bio- diversity. The excision of forest directly affects water catchment areas, which results in the reduction of regular water flow in downstream rivers and lakes. The combination and irregular water flows can lead to increased soil degradation, which is a major contributor to declining 1858 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 16, 2008 agricultural yields. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Cherangany Hills Forest is located in Marakwet, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot districts. It is one of the forests that is experiencing poor management largely through encroachment and squatter settlement. The forest is located on the west escarpment of the Great Rift Valley and has an estimated 126,600 hectares under national reserve and 12,875 hectares of forest plantation. The Cherangany Hills Forest is an important water catchment area. As I said earlier, the rivers that flow from this forest have 318,000 cubic metres of ground water and 211,000 cubic metres of service water. This is the importance of this forest. I compare it with a blood vessel which allows blood to flow to the heart. I take it as a very important source of life. Irrigation has been started in places by some NGOs like the World Vision in Turkana District where it is not known. As a result, maize and other food crops actually come from Turkana District, where you do not expect to produce any food. It has been scientifically proved that crops produced under irrigation are more reliable and more yielding than rainfed crops. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Kerio Valley Development Authority and the Lake Basin Development cannot undertake their activities without water. It is because of this forest that we have the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) and the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA). All these authorities are there because of the water from the Cherangany Hills Forest. If we cannot protect this forest, I can say that there will be very little that these organisations will do. It is very paramount for these authorities, like the KVDA and the LBDA, to ensure that this forest is managed and conserved properly for their own use and operation. I am not saying that it is only the KVDA and the LBDA alone who should conserve the forest. The Government is actually the real body that can protect that forest. Right now, as I speak, there are squatters in Cherangany Hills Forest. About 78 years ago, there were only 20 squatters living in Cherangany Hills Forest. Today, there are about 100,000 people living in that forest. In the last two weeks, the Government sent askaris to demolish houses of the people living in that forest. Today, the population has increased and many houses have been built. By destroying those houses, the Government is doing more harm to the forest than the houses. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, as they destroy the houses, more trees are cut to rebuild more houses. More destruction is done when houses are destroyed. So, it is actually the opposite. The Government should find a way of solving this problem once and for all. As I said, only 20 people lived in that forest 78 years ago, but today, more than 100,000 people live there. If this trend is not checked, we will have no forest in cherangany to talk about. I am saying this because the number of people living there has gone up. There are also agricultural activities going on there. Also, logging of trees and harvesting of timber is going on in the forest. This will bring this forest to an end. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, food is very important to human beings. As I said, this forest is almost like a blood vessel which allows blood to flow to our hearts. The Cherangany Hills Forest is very important to the people of those areas if it is protected. The Government should come up with strategies to resettle people who live in the Cherangany Hills Forest in other agricultural areas like Trans Nzoia or Uasin Gishu. We should resettle these people elsewhere to protect the forest. People in Trans Nzoia and Eldoret and other towns use water that is coming from Cherangany Hills. As I have said, Cherangany Hills Forest is very important internationally. This is because we share water from Lake Turkana with Ethiopia. We also share water from Lake Victoria with Sudan and Egypt. This is how important this forest is. So, I urge the Government to come up with strategies to protect this forest. With those few remarks, I beg to move."
}