BY REPORTER
The
war on charcoal burning in Kitui county is far to be won, this is more
and more vehicles ferrying charcoal continue to be arrested almost on
daily basis.
Since
charcoal ban in Kitui was implemented, many happenings have happened in
the county with the worst of all being the torching of a Lorry ferrying
charcoal from the county at Kanyonyoo along the Thika-Garissa highway.
This raised a lot of uproar and demonstration in Kiambu county where the
owner of the lorry came from.
Burning
of the Lorry saw Kitui governor Charity Ngilu surmoned by the NCIC
chair Francis Ole Kaparo to answer incitement allegations against. She
was accused of targeting one community in the fight against charcoal
business.
Madam Ngilu has time and again declared her endless efforts in ensuring that the business ceases in Kitui no matter what.
However,
charcoal traders in parts of Nuu, Mutha and Ukasi are still burning
charcoal and selling it to brokers, accusing lack of alternative source
of income as the reason why they are operating against the ban by the
county government.
On
Tuesday, SIX Charcoal dealers were arraigned at Mwingi law courts and
fined a total of Sh. 300,000 and the charcoal they ferrying in six
Lorries forfeited and handed over to the county government, for
transporting charcoal in defiance of the existing ban.
It
is the first time that charcoal transporters are facing justice in the
courts since Kitui Governor Kaluki Ngilu imposed the ban in January.
The
accused- Muteti Munyoki, the driver of lorry Registration Number KBK
653T carrying130 bags, Joseph Nderitu- KBU 227W with 200 bags, Alexander
Mutisya- KAW 188G with 150 bags, Mutua Mwololo- KBY 656F with150 bags,
Richard Maina- KCF 324T with 150 bags and Alex Mugambi-KCH 272Z,
carrying 150 bags, pleaded guilty before Mwingi Senior Resident
Magistrate Grace Kirungumi.
They
were convicted on their own plea of guilt and slapped with a fine of
Sh. 50,000 each or one year imprisonment in default. The magistrate also
ordered they forfeit the 930 bags of Charcoal, to Kitui County
Government.
The
bags were seized from six lorries, which were arrested on March 14,
2018 at Ukasi in Mwingi Central by Ukasi OCS Chief Inspector Karisa,
County Enforcement officers.
Governor
Ngilu has vowed to press on with the ban despite a move by her Kiambu
counterpart Ferdinand Waititu to sue her for allegedly targeting traders
from his community
She
also received Summons from the National Cohesion and integration
Commission Chair Mr. Francis Ole Kaparo to answer charges on alleged
incitement. But when she appeared before the commission, she was
ambushed with different allegations from charcoal traders.
Mrs.
Ngilu's ban on charcoal and sand harvesting has since acted as a wake-
up call to other counties and the country as a whole on the raging
effects of climate change following the depletion of forest cover across
the country,
Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua has also issued a three year ban on the same.
The
war on deforestation was taken up by the National Government, where Mr.
Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary of Environment and Deputy President
William Ruto banned logging in Mau Forest and other areas, which has
since seen more than 20 loggers arrested.
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