Former KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion has defended President William Ruto’s decision to lift the logging ban in the Mau Forest Complex, saying it was a scientifically guided move that targeted only mature commercial plantations.

Speaking during a televised interview on Thursday, November 6, 2025, Sossion said the ban lift was being misinterpreted for political reasons.

He explained that the government had acted on professional advice from the Ministry of Forestry, which had recommended the harvesting of trees that had reached maturity.

“There are natural forests that you can’t touch, even a dead plant. But there are also commercial plantations, where trees are planted for harvesting and utility,” he said.

“What was lifted for harvesting is mature plantations of the commercial type – the cypress, the pines, and others – and that is regulated by the Ministry of Forestry.”

Sossion added that mature trees beyond a certain growth stage lose economic and environmental value if not harvested.

“Scientifically, there’s a certain stage that if mature trees go beyond, they become useless. Are we trying to suggest that we want to turn plantations into useless woodland that cannot be harvested?” he posed.

He said the President’s decision was simply procedural and accused critics of politicising a technical issue.

“Trying to bring politics and twist it does not help. If it is premature harvesting, then we will raise a flag,” Sossion added.

Also watch: Ruto lifts 6-year-long ban on logging.

His remarks came after former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua claimed that Ruto lifted the ban to supply timber to a furniture factory he has established in Eldoret.

President Ruto announced the lifting of the six-year logging moratorium on Monday, October 27, during the launch of the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme in Elburgon, Nakuru County.

He also banned furniture imports, saying Kenya has enough raw materials to sustain its own production.

Opposition and activists react

Martha Karua’s People’s Liberation Party (PLP) also criticised the reversal, calling it reckless and a betrayal of logic and science. The party warned that lifting the ban would open the door to illegal logging and corruption.

However, several political figures and environmental groups have condemned the decision.

The United Green Movement Party (UGM), led by former Chief Justice David Maraga, called the move a major setback to Kenya’s conservation efforts, accusing the government of double-speak.

“You cannot promote tree planting and environmental protection while allowing logging in the country’s most critical water tower,” UGM said in a statement on October 28.