Timber investors, elders reject KFS 45,000ha tender

Elders, timber investors, and community forest groups are up in arms over a new Kenya Forest Service tender allowing the sale and harvesting of 45,000 hectares of plantation forest in the South Rift and Western Kenya regions. They now threaten nationwide protests, accusing KFS of attempting a large-scale forest grab under the guise of a pulpwood sale.Speaking in Eldama Ravine after a day-long consultative meeting, Rift Valley Timber Investors Association Secretary Ronald Kipramoi accused KFS of acting in contempt of a 2023 court order that limits commercial harvesting to 5,000 hectares per year. Stakeholders claim the trees earmarked for cutting are 18 to 25 years old and mature for saw-timber, yet are being auctioned under the lower-value “pulpwood” category. Connect with KBC Online; Subscribe to our channel: https://t.ly/86BKNc Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.om/KBCChannel1 Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kbcchannel1TV Check our website: https://www.kbc.co.ke/ #kbcchannel1 #news #kbclive