By Job Weru

Kenya Forest Service rangers and villagers were struggling to put out a fire suspected to have been started by either honey harvesters or poachers in Mt Kenya Forest.

By yesterday noon, the fire had destroyed tens of acres left after another fire in January consumed about 5,000 acres.

KFS Head of Conservancy John Wachihi said the fire was spreading fast due to strong winds, noting that it was hard to estimate the acreage of land that had been destroyed.

On Tuesday night, the fire could be seen from surrounding towns of Nanyuki, Nyeri and Naromoru, and residents feared that it could spread to the forest reserve, which neighbours community land.

Reduced to ashes

The raging fire is a threat to about 882 rare plant species and numerous animal species.

Mr Wachihi and Laikipia KWS Senior Warden Aggrey Maumo said despite their efforts to put out the fire, it had continued to gut the upper part of the forest.

Mr Maumo said acres of dry grasslands (moorland) have been reduced to ashes.

"We almost put out the fire two days ago, but it re-ignited and spread to other grassy areas because of strong winds," said Maumo.

Wachihi said: "We have some teams in the mountain and we are still monitoring it. We have decided to add a group of 30 people and send them up the mountain.

The KFS official lamented that fire engines could not access the burning area due to rugged terrain.

"We have to rely on human resource since we do not have a special helicopter to help in the exercise," he said.

On Tuesday, some tourists and their guides and porters who were on an expedition in the mountain were forced to cut short their trip, after the fire spread towards major routes between Naromoru Met Station Camp and Mackinders Camp.

Mr Wilson Wamugunda, a guide, said the fire threatened to engulf them due to the strong winds.

"I almost got burnt and had to throw away a jerry can of kerosene that I was carrying," said Wamugunda. KWS has provided an ambulance to help in rescue services.

Although Wachihi said the cause of the fire was not yet known, mountain operators suspected that either honey harvesters or poachers started it.

Mt Kenya is famous for hiking, with KWS statistics indicating that about 30,000 tourists hike the mountain every year.