road through aberdare

Hardly a month after the country celebrated the completion of a Sh 850million electric fence around the Aberdare ranges people with vested interests have mooted a plan to construct a tarmac road cutting the much coveted eco-system into two.

Amid strong opposition from conservationists and two key public bodies involved in the 21 year old effort to raise funds for the fence, the government has floated its intention to not only construct a Sh 2.3billion road but also invited investors to put up eco-lodges in various parts of the eco-system.

The entire 2,000kilometre area now serves as a national water reservoir for the country’s capital, mutli-billion flower sub sector in Naivasha as well as the source of water that turns turbines at several hdyro-power stations across the country.

The conservationists, Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service assert that the fenced off area also serves as a home for about 3,000 elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, the forest antelope and the illusive bongo among other wildlife species as well as 270species of birds documented to date.

Disregarding advice from conservationists, KWS who manage the 700kiometre square Aberdare National Park and the KFS under whose docket the Aberdare Forest falls under, the government went ahead to sanction carrying out of project designs intended to link Ihithe area in Othaya constituency and Ndunyu Njeru in Kinangop constituency via a 50kilometre tarmac road.

But skeptics see this as a hand’s wrapped approach to getting a road built by taxpayers’ money to access various sites earmarked for establishment of eco-lodges inside the Aberdare Forest and Aberdare National Park.

The government made good its intention by forwarding its preliminary and detailed engineering design to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) seeking public comments on the project which it says will ease movement among people and goods thereby spurring trade between Nyandarua and Nyeri.

KWS, KFS and a host of key environment and wildlife conservationist groups lodged strong objection to the intended road project by raising queries over the urgency to construct the road even before a substantive post-completion advanced environmental impact study has been done to showcase the projects gains and shortcomings especially to forest edge communities.

“Wildlife and Forestry Minister Dr Noah Wekesa promised us that all investment ventures would be guided by a master-plan prepared by a committee involving all stakeholders. But are isn the same government going against its pledge?” posed Mr Collins Church, of the Rhino Ark Trust which mobilized local and foreign funds for the fence project resulting in Sh 750millon being raised.

Documents availed to the Nation show that government department heads of departments specifically, water, roads, and environment gave the project a clean bill of health saying destruction perceived by the conservationists could be adequately mitigated.

They averred that distance taken to transport goods between the two centres of Ihithe and Ndunyu Njeru would be shortened and that gains from the road construction would far outweigh the negative impact caused by opening up of a private park to public use.

The Wildlife and Forestry Minister while placing the last fence pole at Kipipiri extension promised that a management plan would be prepared detailing all potential investments opportunities in hydro-power projects, eco-lodges’ establishment, water projects among other projects aimed at enabling Kenyans benefit fully from continued conservation and protection of the Aberdare Ecosystem.

And he insisted that eveything would be carried out in a holistic manner taking due consideration all environment concerns fromm stakeholders so “as to make Aberdare a showcase as to how people and well managed eco-systems could be of economica benefit.”

Mr Church said realization of a well secure Aberdare would enable Kenyans to earn Sh 20billion annually in terms of current investments and stood to earn more once its full potential is realized.

But as the master plan awaits formulation and approval by all stakeholders, KFS and KWS went ahead to identify suitable sites for establishment of eco-lodges among other tourism ventures and expects to receive the proposals by the end of November.

The Ministry of Roads also moved with speed and contracted a local company to carry out the Environmental Impact Assessment Audit as well as prepare an engineering design for the project.

This, the stakeholders assert is against the laid down principal of fairness where the same company undertakes to tasks in which one is supposed to police the other.

During the lifespan of the fencing project the government gave conservationists a major leeway to raise funds for the project that saw the government contribute Sh 100million while the rest was raised by individuals, corporate organizations, wildlife trusts and other bodies across the world.

Rhino Ark Charitable Trust now faces a Herculean task to raise Sh 700million for the setting up of an endownment trust to oversee maintenance of the fence and sustainable use of the natural resources within the Aberdare Conservation Area.

Passion and commitment to purpose saw two workers die during the implementation of the project while a fundraising team on a progress inspection tour nearly lost their lives when a chopper they were flying in developed mechanical problems mid-air leading to an accident.

The chopper clash-landed within Shamata area in Aberdare National Park whereby Chief Executive Officers, Mr Wilfred Kiboro(then of the Nation Media Group), Safaricom’s Mr Michael Joseph and KenGen’s Eddy Njoroge and Mr Church sustained slight injuries.

The chairman of Rhino Ark, avers that the proposed road could reverse gains made in the past 21years and usher in an era where political decisions would override genuine environmental concerns in creationg of access roads within the other parks in the country.

“We are not opposed to the road construction but demand that decisions made on any project should follow a detailed process within a holistic framework where an integrated master plan is in place for the Aberdare ecosystem that is of critical national value,” he says.

KFS through its director Mr David Mbugua asserts that opening up of the forest to public use could re-engineer the logging problems that has been effectively curbed thereby encouraging regeneration of natural forest cover.

Mr Mbugua added that proposed realignment of the existing murram road would also see 25 kilometres of closed forest canopy interfered with and called for provision of an alternative site for the project. The area in question is a revered wetland and any interference could lead to pollution and degradation of the water catchment area.

“Giving members of the public access to indigenous forests will create a new route for illegal logging and poaching which is common in areas rich in indigenous forest cover for timber and sandal wood. This will further stretch our officers (rangers) in terms of surveillance to protect the forest’ he said.

KFS also took issue with the proposed mitigation measures saying they were inadequate in addressing the negative impacts linked to the destruction of moorland, “ since no data collection and analysis by a team of experts was done to prove that the adverse impacts could be effectively addressed.

African Wildlife Foundation also raised issue with the lead agency carrying out the EIA study saying here was a conflict of interest since they were also the ones who carried out the engineering designs of the road.

Mr AWF’s Director in charge of Land Conservation Ms Kathleen Fitzgerald stated that no project should be carried out before an integrated master plan for the entire ecosystem is carried out.

The director said the preliminary EIA report lacked botanical expertise to substantively give mitigative measures to be put in place to protect the area’s biodiversity and watershed value.

In their objection, Kenya Tourism Federation has also added its voice saying construction of a road would greatky impact on Kenya’s image as a tourist destination.

Subdividing the Aberdare national Park into two would adversely affected the ‘tourism product’as the Aberdares is a national park inside a forest where human and vehicular traffic is controlled. To protect the flora and fauna.

“The EIA report does not consider the long term effects of the road to wildlife, migratory routes and breeding zones as well as ecological balance. E urge the proponents of the roads to contact senior people at KFS and KWS before making any further attempts in implementing the project,” they assert in a protest note sent to NEMA and signed by KTF’s Chief Executive Officer Ms Agatha Juma.

The EIA report has since been forwarded to NEMA which has in turn called on any interested party to forward their views before it makes its decision known on whether the project would be approved or not.

NEMA is soon expected to convene a national forum on the project to solicit view and discuss the issues raised on the intended project.

East African Wildlife Society, in its brief protect note t NEMA says that no analysis has been provided on the distribution of wildlife and impacts to wildlife/vehicle collision and disturbance.

Executive Director Nigel Hunter says that the intended road would open further fragmentation on the Aberdares leading to its destruction.

Mr Hunter said that animals would be greatly disturbed leading to increased human-wildlife conflict due to interference with their natural habitat.

Rhino Ark avers that erection of a fence was aimed at keeping away animals from settlement areas and any new opening could renew conflict which has been effectively curbed.

“We also wonder why KFS and KWS has invited investors to put up eco-lodges so close to existing ones as this will render the already booming tourism trade unviable.

As the debate rages on over whether or not to tarmac the road, no one has come out publicly to advocate for the establishment of the road thereby creating suspicions that it is fronted by people eyeing the few opportunities to set up tourist ventures within the world famous park.