Angry residents from Dundori in Bahati constituency in Nakuru County have expressed their grievances calling upon the forests’ management authorities to intervene in Dundori forest scam.
The residents who are mostly farmers and own land near the forest have accused Simon Waiganjo-the forester mandated to take care of Dundori Forest, of continually reaping where he has not sowed.
Area MP Kimani Ngunjiri has criticized the act terming it as selfish and reiterated that he will not watch as some few individuals cannot destroy what others have tirelessly worked for.
Gladys Wairimu who is the community representative affirmed that Waiganjo has been extorting money from the community around promising to supply seedlings as well as selling forest products illegally.
She also lamented the spread of crop diseases and low productivity from their farms and are therefore forced to result to commercial forestry which has then been under mismanagement.
The land here has not been producing anything enough to even feed us. This is the second season the crops have failed. We are experiencing crop diseases. The forest around cannot even help us. It has been turned as a preserve for the few,” Decried Wairimu.
The locals now want the process to be sped up, to kick the forester out of the area additionally accusing him of mismanaging the 450 tree seedlings provided to them by the government.