Things have taken an unprecedented turn after Chinese miners were caught flat-foot destroying a forest in Kajiado County.
Three senior Kenya Forests officials are under Investigators radar after it emerged they were culpable in the illegal activities in the forest.
They are Nairobi head of conservancy Samuel Ihure, Kajiado Ecosystem conservator Francis Mathinji and Forester in charge of Ololua Phillip Kosgei.
Suspended licence
On Tuesday, KFS acting Chief Conservator of Forests Monica Kalenda suspended HydroMasters license with immediate effect.
HydroMasters contractor George Melonye, however, denied any wrongdoing. The firm had been granted the license to extract quarry dust from Ololua Forest block in Ngong Hills. Ololua Forest block is 681 hectares (1,682.78505 acres).
Kalenda told the press that the firm’s activities had gone outside the conditions of the permit.
“I was shocked and dismayed that the roads were expanded and the environment seriously destroyed with no authority from the chief conservator,” Kalenda said.
She accused HydroMasters of subcontracting its special use license to China Communications Construction Company Limited East Africa.
“The issue of expanding the road during the moratorium is double-edged. Even my officers who allowed the expansion will have to answer,” Kalenda said.
Kalenda said a lorry belonging to CCCC was impounded by rangers transporting materials illegally. Community Forest Association members said the ferrying of materials had been going on unabated. Huge excavations had been done at the site.
Kalenda said the damage by the company is “massive and it had not been reported to KFS.”
“Any destruction to the environment must be reported, including cutting of trees and grass. We have not received such a report from the licensee,” she said.
“Based on this, I’m hereby suspending this license with immediate effect and legal action will be taken against those involved in destroying the environment and transferring the license without authority from KFS”, she said
In August 2014, KFS granted the special user license to Kwality Rural Urban Environment Limited.
In a letter dated June 20, 2017, the company requested KFS to allow it to assign its rights under the license to HydroMasters Drilling Company Limited, which is KFS approved.
Under the license entered between KFS and HydroMasters, the latter was to harvest hardcore and prepare a restoration plan that has to be approved by the service.
The quarry area covering 7.554 hectares (18.67 acres) was to be rehabilitate for five years. The Licensee fee for quarrying was Sh75,000 as per prevailing gazette rates.
An annual forest land rent at the prevailing stood at the gazetted rates of Sh20, 000 per acre for 18.67 acres amounting to Sh 373,400 per year.
One of the conditions of the license was that it was not transferable. It may, however, be assigned only with written approval from KFS.
Kalenda said it was not aware of the deal between HydroMasters and CCCC. Under the arrangement, the licensee has an obligation to deposit Sh1 million with KFS as security for due fulfillment of the terms and conditions.
She said she was shocked to find out that the contractor had defied the conditions by subletting the license to CCCC.