Agency identifies the most destroyed, encroached forests

Nakuru County has the highest number of destroyed forests in Kenya, occasioned by charcoal burning, encroachment, theft of plantations and logging perpetuated by foresters and forest rangers.

The county has five major forests; Molo, Sururu, Logoman, Baraget and Kiptunga.

In Molo Forest, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) board has been accused of having a hand in the illegal logging of plantation trees while in Logoman and Sururu, forest rangers were implicated.

They have been accused of abetting logging of cedar trees and burning charcoal, which has led to near depletion of trees. The rangers were also accused of theft of tree plantations and logging of indigenous tree species in the Kiptunga and Baraget forests.

In Kericho, four forests namely Sorget, Tendeno, Makutano and Kericho have been listed as being under threat due to the destruction of trees.

Members of community-based forest association, foresters and rangers have been colluding in the logging of forest tree plantations and charcoal burning in Sorget Forest while in Tendeno Forest, locals have encroached on the forest resulting in illegal logging of indigenous trees and charcoal burning.

Indigenous species

Similarly, in Makutano, a forester has been abetting the rampant tree felling and illegal farming in the forest while in Kericho forest charcoal burning and cutting of indigenous tree species was witnessed although the culprits were not immediately identified.

For Nyandarau County only two forests are under threat; North Kinangop and Geta forest. In North Kinangop, farming, and illegal logging of forest trees plantation where a forester has been implicated was reported while in Geta forest there was illegal removal of logs being done under the watch of foresters and the KFS management board.