Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has banned logging in private and public forests within the county in efforts to conserve the environment.
Waititu says that the ban takes effect immediately and that locals must get permission from the county administration henceforth before cutting trees.
Speaking to journalists in his Kiambu office on Monday, the governor said that the county assembly if finalizing on policies aimed at environment conservation.
“We have with immediate effect outlawed tree cutting in both private and public forests and whoever will be found contravening the order will have him or her to blame," the governor said.
Waititu said that it will take concerted efforts to save forests from wanton destruction.
The governor said that his government will on next month launch a tree planting exercise aimed at conserving the environment.
The Kiambu governor becomes the second governor after Machakos Alfred Mutua to outlaw logging.
At the same time, the Kiambu governor has warned residents and private developers against uprooting coffee and tea plantations to put up buildings.
Waititu raised concerns that private developers are buying land and destroying tea plantations that he said are still considered the county economic source.
“We are humbly asking private developers to avoid buying land that has coffee plantations because it remains our ‘gold’ as Kiambu people,” he said.
On Monday, the Council of Governors (COG) pledged to support the national government measures aimed at conserving the environment.
The Council chairman Josphat Nanok urged counties to join the war against logging.
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