Wild fire destroys vegetation

Wildfires have destroyed large tracts of grassland in Northern Kenya.

Wajir residents who had barricaded a road two days ago to prevent trucks ferrying hay from passing say the fire is suspected to have been started by fodder traders.

Districts affected by the fire include Wajir North, South and West with fears that the fire might spread to parts of neighboring Isiolo.

Two people who were injured in the fire are now recuperating at the Wajir District Hospital. The residents who are pastoralists have also lost their livestock that were unable to run away from the fire.

Residents of the affected areas are migrating towards Moyale in search of safety and greener pastures causing tension of posible conflict among neighboring communities.

The fire is fast spreading in Isiolo’s Merti and Garbatulla areas, according to a Kenya Forest Service Officials who declined to be named.

Meanwhile Kenya Forest Service (KFS) says the Kenyan government has aside Sh.10 Million shillings to fight the raging fires at both Mt. Kenya and Aberdares forests. Sh. 10 Million is not enough but is a show of reprieve.

KFS Deputy Director Patrick Kariuki said the money is being used to provide food, transport and other logistics required to fight the blazes that have destroyed thousands of forest.

Kariuki was very proud to mention the teams that are helping to extinguish the fires saying the local community has shown great support for the course. I salute the honourable Kenyans who have dedicated their time to save our forests.  The other teams include the Kenya Forest Service(KFS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) the army and the National youth service as well as the Kenya Police.

Kariuki who was speaking on Wednesday at Kamiigwa in Kirinyaga County during the Farmer Field School graduation ceremony the official said no resource will be spared to save the water towers from the fires.

The fire in Mt. Kenya forest has so far consumed moorlands and bamboo vegetation in Gathiuru, Chogoria and Naromoru areas. The fire have been difficult to put out due to harsh weather and lack of proper equipment with an estimated 100 hectares of vegetation burned in the past few weeks.

Story courtesy of http://bit.ly/GBf8LV

Save our national parks

Kenya is a blessed nation endowed with amazing tourist sites making the tourism industry the second largest source of foreign exchange but that may change in the next few years if the Government and Kenyans continue taking our national heritage for granted.

Our national parks have become accustomed to fierce infernos that last for days, weeks and sometimes months destroying vegetation and killing wild life which is a major attraction.

The Aberdares National Park is on fire for the fifth day on Tuesday with a team of poorly equipped fire fighters whose only option is to use twigs to put off the fire.

Small animals have succumbed to the fire due to their inability to flee from the fast spreading fire due to the park’s moorland vegetation about 4000 feet above sea level.

Another fire at the Mt Kenya National park is still to be contained. So far the fire has consumed bamboo trees worth 8 Billion Kenyan Shillings.

The fire suspected to have been sparked off by arsonists has also burnt other vegetation in an 800 acre and has grossly affected the water catchment areas

 ‘Mobilizing resources’

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has responded to both situations saying they are mobilizing resources to contain the fires. Do we have to wait for the fire to mobilize resources?  It is worth to note the fires are experienced almost annually and therefore this does not catch the Government by surprise.

This is where the Government fails. It is clear that forest fires are not taken seriously.  We cannot keep on pointing fingers at arsonists yet we do nothing. The Law is bigger than them. Arrest them. Charge them in court. If found guilty jail them to teach other potential culprits a lesson. Nobody should be allowed to take advantage of public resources for their selfish gains.

Sometimes the fires are not intentionally ignited. Some occur naturally due to lighting, or volcanic eruptions or genuine human activity like honey harvesting.

In case of fire breaks out, it is also the duty of the Government to extinguish the fire with the most innovative fire extinguishers available in the world since the tourism sector brings enough revenue.

We can afford to protect our forests for the future generations.  

The other factor the government should look into is distributing idle land to landless people. We cannot house animals at the expense of humanity. Many people in Kenya are squatters and others are internally displaced owing to the Post Election Violence. No one one will think of illegally burning the forest to acquire land.

Environmentalist and Noble Laurette Wangari Maathai once said “As long as there is no trust and confidence that there will be justice and fairness in resource distribution, political positioning will remain more important than service.”

‘Arsonists’

It is also worthy to look at the mind of an arsonist and how he can help save the environment.

We have a tendency of blaming the leaders and the government for everything in Kenya but here is an opportunity to see our mistakes as Kenyans.

The motive behind the “fire-starting idea” is plainly criminal and selfish. Many want to ignite fire to use the use uncertainty to access the park for poaching, firewood, or to grab the land for human activity like farming or some are agents of our selfish leadership who want to sell the land cheaply to poor squatters.

You have heard of the famous quote BY John F. Kennedy “Don’t ask what your country can do for you. Ask instead what you can do for your country”

This should be the guiding force for every Kenyan. It is the responsibility of every citizen in any nation to guard our nation selfishly and Kenyans are not excluded.

We should rid ourselves from ignorance that makes us to make stupid decisions. Take initiative and save the national parks for a better tomorrow. Save them for our children.

Rwanda genocide

…..Sixteen years of painful memories. What lessons do we have for Kenyans?

I may have been too young to understand what was taking place in Rwanda in April 1994 but i may not be too young to see a similar scenario taking place in our beloved Country Kenya today. Kenya is not alone  so what does the future hold for Africa?

Before the genocide, Rwanda was a country experiencing tribal and political upheavals like many African countries in the past and even today.
However things came to a turn around, after the assassination of  President Juvenal Habyarimana on April 6. Contrary to many people’s believes the assassination may not have  been the proximate cause of the mass killings that we are all ashamed to talk about. The assassination was only the beginning of madness .

According to the rebel Hutus, the Tutsis wanted to enslave them and thus this had to be averted by all means.In a period of just  100 days 20% of the Country’s Population lay by the roadside dead as the World Watched. But even if the killings had been prevented the tribal strife that existed may never have been removed from people’s hearts. This was the main cause of the Genocide…..Tribalism!

Many African countries which include my motherland Kenya are in such dilemma. It is until we solve our feelings about each other that we will avert this alarming rate of constant political and tribal uprisings. It is until we accept that a Kikuyu has a right to life just like a Kalenjin or a Luo that we shall see a free Kenya, a free Africa.

If i may take a stroll and just remember Kenya’s Post election Violence:happening only days after a strongly contested poll. Let it never be said that Kenya was not heading to the pit. More than 1,000 Kenyans lay dead and dozens displaced and are still displaced in their own country. Justice has not been granted and the World in still watching.

What caused the Upheaval? Politics, rigging have been largely blamed but i stand out and say NO! NO! NO! to this school of thought .It was pure tribalism. How come this happened only in some areas and done by out particular communities against others? If we had been nurtured to love each other despite our background, do you think we would have gone to the extent killing each other mercilessly like we did?

Until when  are we going to blame on our political leaders and affiliations?How many times are we going to lay blame on our God-given resources like land which may never be enough for us all?So do we continue with the killings or do we choose to love each other.To love and to share our national heritage.

As a young African i chose to love the Kikuyu, the Luo and all the other ethnic groups in Kenya. I did not choose to be born in Kenya! But even if i was to choose i would be born a Kenyan again and again because if it can’t work as a Kenyan it may never work as somebody else.

Choose today to Love your neighbour despite our differences in language.We are the only ones who can change the destiny of our country.The destiny of our Continent. The destiny of this World.

The writer of this blog is a Practising Journalist.

Jamaican cleric

It is surprising how the western world can use us the underdeveloped. The Al Faisal who is a legitimate citizen  of Jamaica was stuck here in Kenya…you wonder why and how he got to our country.

The Jamaican Government was clear that they wanted their man but in one piece. No body including our colonizers The United Kingdom would allow us to get rid of this unwanted man in peace. Instead they made every thing so difficult for us. we ended up using our very own resources…to have him out.

What a pity for the taxpayers some of whom have  never got into to even a commercial plane…they had to pay a huge some of money to load the cleric into a PRIVATE JET!Do you mind? A private jet.