The government Sunday lifted the ban on logging, which President William Ruto claimed will help the economies of areas that depend on forest products.
This comes after six years of a ban on logging to fight deforestation.
Ruto spoke in Molo, Nakuru, on Sunday, where he said his government has put up plans to ensure that only mature trees are harvested while more are planted.
“Trees are rotting in the forests here with locals suffering because of lack of timber.
We have lifted the ban on logging with a plan,” he said.
He argued lifting the logging moratorium, which has been in effect since 2018, will create jobs for both youths and businesses and is in line with the government’s plan to plant 15 billion trees in ten years.
The moratorium was imposed in response to public outrage over illegal logging, which environmentalists blamed for Kenya’s dwindling forest cover as well as damage to the country’s water towers.
Ruto, who also attended the launch of the annual Kaptagat forest ecosystem tree growing event held at Kessup forest station in Elgeyo Marakwet, stated that his administration is committed to reclaiming and conserving all water catchment areas in the country.
“Over the next 10 years, we shall grow 15 billion trees and restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded forests and rangelands,” he said.
He said that the program would involve the public from the local level up to the Cabinet, in keeping with the constitutional imperative.
” I appeal to every Kenyan to plant at least 30 trees each year, to properly participate in this program as mandated by the Constitution and contribute to our collective climate action targets,” said Ruto.
The move attracted condemnation online with many criticizing him for his ironical pronouncements.
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