Stakeholders have green-lit the construction of Kithoka Airstrip, Meru State Lodge and a golf course inside Imenti Forest, according to the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

This is despite a High Court issuing orders barring public participation after KFS issued a one-day notice for the crucial meeting for the government-backed project.

Kenyans.co.ke learned that the nod came during a chaotic Public Participation Forum on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Study for the airstrip on July 8 at Kithoka Beat, Meru Forest Station.

The stakeholders from both the national government and county governments reviewed the environmental, social, and economic implications tied to the airstrip's construction before offering their support for the project to move forward.

📌 What You Need to Know

According to KFS, the airstrip is expected to strengthen forest conservation by boosting aerial surveillance and improving emergency response to fires and other disasters within the forest.

KFS says that specialists who presented their findings said the site was chosen after detailed assessments meant to avoid environmentally sensitive zones, including elephant migration corridors. “Technical experts presented the ESIA findings, proposed mitigation measures, and site selection criteria, noting that the location was identified following detailed assessments to avoid environmentally sensitive areas, including elephant migration corridors,” stated KFS.

Views gathered during the forum, together with submissions made through an online platform, will now feed into the final decision on whether the project proceeds.

On the flipside, not everyone has been on board with how things have unfolded, since the Environment and Land Court in Meru stepped in to slow things down by issuing interim conservatory orders suspending a separate public participation exercise that had been scheduled for July 8. This led the crowd to descend into chaos as hostile crowds aggressively heckled and drove an environmental activist off the stage.

Justice Oguttu Mboya ruled that the consultation could not legally proceed, preserving the ecosystem's status quo as court cases challenging the wider project continue.

Additionally, environmental groups have also come in to condemn the plan, arguing that the plan will have massive repercussions for the environment since the forest is an important water catchment zone for the region. In response, President William Ruto came forward t o dispute the claims, stating that the plan will only have ‘minimal’ repercussions for the environment. Beyond the airstrip itself, the bigger picture also involves the construction of a golf course, and inside the protected  Imenti Forest .

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke