Led by the area MCA, Eunice Wagaki, they are now appealing to the County Assembly to take the necessary action in order to protect and preserve the Karima Hill forest, as well as safeguard the constitutional rights of the residents.
The ward representative noted that the residents of Karima Ward are deeply concerned over the rate at which deforestation has significantly increased leading to the loss of square kilometers of tree cover.
Wagaki sought the intervention of the House to issue an immediate order in order to halt any activities leading to felling of trees at Karima Hill Forest so as to ensure sustainable exploitation, utilization, management and conservation of the forest as enshrined in Article 69 of the Constitution of Kenya.
The petition highlighted that sometime in 1998, Kenya Tea Development Agency Ltd (KTDA) entered into a lease agreement with the Nyeri County Council and leased 80 acres of the hill for a duration of 30 years; that during this period, KTDA has felled numerous trees leading to the erosion of its indigenous environment.
The Ward Representative informed the House that the forest initially had pine trees, which have been felled over time and replaced with eucalyptus trees.
Wagaki is now appealing to the County Assembly to take the necessary action in order to protect and preserve the Karima Hill forest as well as safeguard the constitutional rights of the residents.
The county speaker James Gichuhi, has committed the petition to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources for its consideration and tabling of the report.
Photo Credits: Kenguy