The United Green Movement Party has strongly condemned the manner in which the successive governments of Kenya have treated environmental conservation and protection issues.
Addressing the media over the weekend during the party's Executive Committee meeting in Narok County, they called on the government to put more focus on environmental conservation noting failure to do so will affect generations to come.
In reference to a recent incident where State House floated a tender for a two-year supply of charcoal, the UGM officials led by Sialo Tasur from Narok County, and co-leader UGM Youth League stated that the tender is an indicator the Jubilee administration is failing the nation.
“That coming from State House is a classic illustration of duplicity and dysfunction by the Jubilee government in the important area of environmental conservation and protection."
"It is comical and tragic that having banned the charcoal trade in February 2018, the same Jubilee government may buy and use charcoal sourced from the forests destroyed in the Mau Water Tower amongst others,” said Tasur.
Tasur added that despite Kenya hosting the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and other international environmental NGO’s, the country has no coherent, nationally coordinated, effectively running grassroots program of re-aforestation that aims to ensure that Kenya achieves constitutionally prescribed minimum of 10 per cent tree cover.
The party has asked the government to immediately withdraw the tender on charcoal that was put up a few days ago.
According to Kipng’eno Rono, from Kericho County, the offensive tender on charcoal is contrary to basic environmental protection norms.
"If the government shall not act on the same in the next 14 days, then we will take legal action," warned Rono.
The UGM officials from the youth league also urged the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry Keriako Tobiko to make a regulation to create a youth-led, youth-oriented re-afforestation FUND to be used to create youth employment in a structured and organised manner.
The FUND, they argue, will help mitigate will employ youths to plant trees, as well as ensure that Kenya attains the constitutional requirement of 10 per cent forest cover.
“We urge the government to prioritize re-afforestation of all water towers, starting with the Mau Water Tower,” he said.
The UGM National Executive Committee meeting also resolved to ensure that the co-leaders of UGM youth league activate all youth leagues across the country to embark on re-afforestation activities including sustainable agroforestry.
UGM Party leader Nakuru Chapter Erick Ogada stated that matters environment should be taken seriously.
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