Aberdare forest fire: Firefighting efforts intesified
17th February, 2023
KWS Director General Erastus Kanga said the rangers were working to control the fires which had consumed large tracts of moorland.
Speaking after meeting top officials in the Mt Kenya and Aberdare Ecosystem regions, Kanga confirmed that two people had died in incidents related to the forest fires.
“When we were mobilising our teams on February 7, we lost one ranger and one fence attendant on their way to the fire scene,” he said.
The fire has been raging from Satima, with close to 20,000 acres lost.
“The Aberdare moorlands are dry and windy which means the fires are moving faster and are more difficult to contain, but we are working round the clock to stop them spreading,” he said.
Kanga noted that the fires have a significant impact on increasing the desertification of the moorlands, which affects the ability of the area to hold more water to release into the rivers.
“We have engaged several partners in our firefighting efforts, including the Kenya Forest Service, National Youth Service, Mt Kenya Trust and local communities. The County Government of Nyandarua has assisted us with water bowsers to ferry water to the forest to help put out the fire,” he said.
The Aberdare is the third-highest mountain range in Kenya, reaching a summit of just over 4,000 metres
The rangers said they had established the cause of the fires to be illegal human activity and they were making follow ups to bring the culprits to justice.
Forest fires have become a major concern for environmentalists with several incidents happening every year, leading to loss of hundreds of acres of biodiversity.
