More than 700 families in Pokot South District risk eviction from Government forest in West Pokot County.

The families inhabit more than 10,000 acres of land in Lelan Forest bordering Trans-Nzoia East-Marakwet West districts.

Local Forester Wycliffe Obioya said the Government has dispatched a team to conduct a survey to establish the forest’s boundaries.

“A team of surveyors from Nairobi would spend 20 days in the area to establish the boundaries of the forest before we decide the course of action against encroachers,” said Mr Obioya.

The move comes after local environmentalists raised the alarm over encroachment of Lelan Forest.

According to the mapping that was done in 1945 by Global Position System, 75 per cent of Lelan division residents inhabit the forest.

A human rights activist Augustine Loriya warned that human settlement has endangered indigenous trees, a source of traditional medicine.

Farming

Losiya claimed that residents were now clearing the forest to prepare land for farming. He added that this would expose the region to drought due to destruction of the water tower.

“There is urgent need for the residents to evacuate the area to conserve the forest otherwise the effects of drought are likely to be felt here,” he argues.

During a meeting in the area he advised the residents to start purchasing land in low regions of the county to conserve the forest.

“Lelan is a water catchment area for West Pokot County, the residents should evacuate instead of waiting for eviction by the Government” he said. He warned that continued encroachment of the forest would dry up the source of local rivers.

Lelan division supplies tapped water to residents of Chepareria division. The Sh200 million project is funded by World Vision. The activist said logging in the forest has forced many wild animals to migrate.

He regretted that residents cut down indigenous tress to burn charcoal. “We can curb desertification by protecting the existing forest but little is done to conserve the environment,” he warned.

He accused some leaders of promoting forest invasion and asked the Government to end destruction of the water tower.

By Osinde Obare, The Standard

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