Residents of Ijara constituency now want the government to immediately revoke a gazette notice that had declared Boni Forest as a state forest.
The residents say they have lived in the forest for a long time and it has since been their source of livelihood.
Speaking during a public participation meeting that was organized by National Assembly Departmental Committee on Environment and Natural resources, they said that the forest was the only source of livelihood.
The residents were led by their area MP Mohammed Abbas, who launched the petition on their behalf.
Abass said that the forest was a community land which the locals have been using as grazing land for their animals since time immemorial and hence any gazetement exercise will lock them out of their pasture land hence inconveniencing and endangering them greatly.
The ministry of environment, natural resources through the cabinet secretary had gazetted the 500,000 square KM forest by declaring it as a state forest on February 3, 2016 in a gazetement notice no. 943 of 2016.
Adressing the press after the meeting, the chairperson of the committee Wibor Otichillo assured the residents that their concern will be put into consideration.
He said that the committee will table its report in the floor of the house in the next two weeks.