Waweru Mugo
21 April 2002
The government will introduce a new law to stop the destruction of forests.
Under it, companies which use forest products will be required to plant trees to replace those that they cut.
Environment minister Joseph Kamotho said his ministry had already drafted the Forest Bill which will be taken to Parliament soon.
The new law would also give communities the power to manage forests to curb illegal logging.
A Sessional Paper on forestry would further strengthen the resolve to end the destruction of forests, the minister said.
Mr Kamotho made the remarks at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport soon after arrival from the two-week Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at the Hague, Netherlands.
He observed that the world was witnessing a wave of illegal logging of trees without replenishing of the same.
He said, "The afforestation programme by private users of forest products will check against the destruction of indigenous forests too."
He was categorical that forest destruction was perpetrated by a cross-section of stakeholders and called for a stop to shifting blame.
"No one is blameless in the destruction of forests. Let us not apportion blame to the provincial administration, the Forest department..." he went on.
The conference noted that developed countries contributed to the rampant shipping of genetic resources like medicinal herbs and minerals from Africa without the source countries accruing any benefits.
It adopted guidelines on access and benefit sharing of the resources through which countries would check against illegal pirating by unscrupulous agent.
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