This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
On October 1, 2019, a raging fire ravaged over 70 hectares of bamboo in Aberdare Forest, prompting a swift response from the Kenya Wildlife Service.
According to Mr. Bajila Kofa, the Mt. Kenya boss at KWS, the fire is suspected to have been started by illegal honey harvesters or poachers on Sunday.
"The fire started at around 6pm on Sunday, it was a fierce fire. We sent 45 KWS officers to battle it that night but the number was increased Monday morning," said Mr. Kofa.
The fire is located at Kinangop Peak, a short distance from Elephant Peak, the highest point of Aberdare Forest where the FlySax plane crashed in June last year.
A multiagency team is working to contain the fire within a 500-square metre stretch, with officers deployed to pursue suspected poachers who could have started the inferno.
"We have identified some tracks left behind by strangers in the forest who we suspect to be rhino poachers. We are pursuing the strangers to establish their motive, they might have started the fire to make it easy for their poaching mission," said Mr. Kofa.
Forest fires are common during the honey harvesting season, according to Mr. Kofa, who added that the KWS has activated its response team to tackle the situation.
