A screengrab of the satellite view of Imenti Forest [Google via Maps]
Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust has formally asked the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to stop the ongoing construction of an airstrip in the Upper Imenti Forest Reserve, arguing that the project is proceeding without the environmental approvals and public participation required under Kenyan law.
In a letter addressed to NEMA Director General Dr Mamo Mamo and copied to senior government officials, the conservation organisation said the project poses significant risks to the Mt Kenya ecosystem, one of the country's key water towers.
Rhino Ark Executive Director Christian Lambrechts said the organisation was concerned that no Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) had been conducted and that no licence authorising the project had been issued by NEMA.
“We cannot trade one of Kenya's water towers for short-term convenience. Upper Imenti is protected for a reason: it feeds the Tana and Ewaso Nyiro rivers, shelters elephants, and holds many plant species found nowhere else on Earth. No ESIA, no public participation, no licence means no construction. NEMA must halt works now,” said Lambrechts.
