This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
As the government's deadline for voluntary vacation of the Mau Forest expired, the nation's attention has turned to the urgent imperative of recovering and restoring the complex.
The Mau Forest has suffered irreparable damage due to reckless human activities, including tree logging, unplanned farming, and illegal trade.
Environmental degradation in the greater Mau region, western Kenya, and neighboring counties is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of deforestation.
However, a select group of leaders from the Rift Valley has chosen to politicize this environmental disaster, issuing threats to the government and warning against evicting illegal occupants of the forest.
This is unacceptable, as environmental matters should not be politicized.
The continued prosperity of Kenya and the region is under threat, and therefore, no effort should be spared to avert this eventuality.
Occupants of the Mau Forest must leave, and the government should move quickly to restore the forest.
Statistics from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry paint a dire picture of forest depletion, with the country's forest cover standing at 7.4% of the land, below the international minimum benchmark of 10%.
Environment Minister Keriako Tobiko's mass tree planting initiative in the Mau Forest this weekend is a step in the right direction, but it is essential that all illegal settlers are cleared out of the forest and the work of repair commenced quickly.
