WAR ON CHARCOAL BURNING IN KITUI YET TO BE WON, DESPITE THE BAN

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.