Forests: Senators demand answers over logging by Chinese firm
Barasa dismissed claims of illegal logging in the two forests and said no harvesting was taking place on Kamuruana Hill either.
Concerns over the destruction of forests took centre stage in the Senate as Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa was questioned over logging activities linked to a Chinese company.
Senators accused the company of harming the environment while the government boasts of efforts to restore forest cover.
Barasa told the Senate that the government had planted 783 million trees in three years, with an 85% survival rate under the 15 billion tree programme.
But lawmakers challenged the credibility of this drive, pointing to ongoing deforestation in various regions.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka accused Yuan Chang Muye Company of cutting eucalyptus trees across Homa Bay, Kisii, and Migori counties, with no replanting or local benefits.
"Who do these Chinese represent, and what is the purpose of felling the trees? They are creating an environmental hazard by leaving the offcuts and moving to the next sites?" he asked.
Barasa admitted the company’s operations but said the government had already stopped them.
In Kirinyaga, Senator James Murango asked whether the tree harvesting in Kamuruana Hill Forest was legal and whether the community had been consulted.
"What measure is the government implementing to assure the community of environmental safety, given the risks of deforestation in the context of climate change and its potential impact on the ecosystem?" he asked.
Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa also raised issues of illegal logging in Karura and Thogoto forests, questioning the benefit to locals.
"The Kenya Forest Service says the trees are being felled for domestic fuel, yet the community is not gaining. Lorries take the logs away," he said.
Barasa dismissed claims of illegal logging in the two forests and said no harvesting was taking place on Kamuruana Hill either.