A local leader has decried illegal logging in Marioshoni area saying that the activity is leading to serious environmental degradation.
Speaking at the Marioshoni shopping centre on Friday, area MCA Agnes Salim raised the red flag on the illegal business calling on the concerned authorities to crack the whip on the perpetrators.
“It has come to our attention that some people have made it a habit of cutting down our trees for the purpose of burning charcoal,” she said.
“This practice is illegal and is punishable by law because our few traditional trees have all been logged down in the name of looking for charcoal,” the MCA explained.
She cited a recent case where a pickup with more than 15 sacks of charcoal aboard was intercepted along the Marioshoni-Elburgon road enrout to Nakuru town before being towed to the Marioshoni police post.
According to Mrs Salim, such practices were disastrous to the environment arguing that the area was prone to serious soil erosion that in turn led to poor farm yield because top fertile soil had been washed away by heavy rains for lack of trees to hold it together.
“As we struggle towards being independent in food production, these are the practices that will hold as back, it’s like we are fighting a losing battle,” she noted.
The MCA further explained how traditional trees were important in terms of their medicinal value and unavailability.
“Our young people should be taught the importance of indigenous trees as they cut down our pride and keepers of our African history,” she added.
The chief, his assistant and village elders were put to task to help fight the vice with perpetrators destined for heavy penalties in a court of law.