National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) yesterday declined to issue the government with a licence allowing construction of a Sh 2.3billion cutting through the Aberdare National Park.
The 52 kilometre road would have linked Ihithe town in Othaya constituency represented by President Kibaki and Ndunyu Njeru in Kinangop constituency represented by Sisi kwa Sisi’s David Ngugi.
The director General Dr Mwinzi Muasya in a letter to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Roads Engineer Michael Kamau said that the road if constructed would have an enormous adverse effect on the Aberdare Eco-system since the preliminary road design indicated it would cut across 25 kilometres of forest canopy.
NEMA said the project consultants failed to provide an alternative route for the proposed tarmac road in order to mitigate on the identified adverse effect on the moorland growing on crucial water catchment areas.
“ Aberdare is a crucial water tower providing Nairobi city with water, supports the multi-billion horticultural and floricultural industry. We are of the view that the project will not enhance sustainable development and sound environmental management,” the letter said.
Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service, Rhino Ark, East African Wildlife Foundation, Kenya Tourism Federation and East African Wildlife Society had raised strong objections to the project saying the road would reverse gains made in conserving the eco-system.
The conservationists had argued that gains made in the past 21 years during which a 400 kilometre long perimeter fence around the 2,000kilometre ecosystem was constructed at a Sh 850million cost would be in vain.
In memoranda seen by the Daily Nation, the conservationists argued that there was conflict of interest since one local firm contracted to design the road had also been contracted to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment study.
NEMA also said that the EIA report also failed to state what mitigative measures it planned to take to address the destruction to be caused by the road construction.
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