Protecting our land is key to our future

Kenyans have unlimited needs, but the country has a limited capacity to satisfy those needs. We are a hungry nation, and our hunger has led us to delve into agricultural expansion which involves tree-felling and subsequent deforestation.

A close look at energy consumption in the country shows that majority of Kenyans can’t afford gas or electricity, and thus turn to firewood or charcoal for their cooking needs.

As a naturally endowed country, the incredibly robust 2010 Constitution came into play to protect our natural wealth and stipulates a ten per cent tree cover in the land area of Kenya.

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This is however not enough, as both citizen and state action is required to put these measures in place. The problem is exacerbated by floods, locust invasion, droughts and gradual climate change.

A study by The United Nations projected that by the year 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas. The rapid expansion of cities such as Nairobi causes massive loss of ecosystems and land degradation. It is said that over the last three decades, the Nairobi National park has lost more than 10,000 acres of land to developers, a worrying statistic.

So how can we promote land restoration and stop its degradation? The answer lies in education of the masses and more investment in land use planning and sustainable land management.

The national and county governments could set aside funds for land restoration, and target the massively unemployed youth to embark on this venture. This would be an investment for future landscapes, a way of keeping the youth from getting disillusioned and a source of income for them.

The state has also failed in enforcing legal liability for offenders as impunity reigns for the ones who are well-connected. Some restaurants, owned by the elite, are smack in the middle of Karura Forest, is a prime example of how senior officials will allocate themselves and their family land in ‘protected’ spaces without any consequences. Our apparent leaders also seem to have their tentacles in destroying the environment, for were it not for the loud cries from the civil society, a massive ugly coal plant would have been built, with government approval, in Lamu, a world heritage site.

At the end of the day, the monster of a vice that we call corruption will destroy us as a country. We have the manpower, the legal infrastructure and the resources to turn our spaces into havens of flora and fauna. We just need the willpower to do it.

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